It never mattered where Kendall Alligood was playing. Whether it was the volleyball and basketball court or out on the softball field, she always managed to find success in her athletic career at Northside. Athletics gave back to her, too, in a way it has for few others.

Alligood’s senior year began and she had plenty of high aspirations for herself and the Lady Panther teams she played for. Her first focus in the fall was volleyball, which she said is her favorite among the three sports she played at Northside. She was good at it, too.

She was a three-year starting setter for the varsity squad. Throughout her career, Alligood collected an astounding 313 assists, 51 aces and four kills. In her final campaign, she helped lead the Lady Panthers to an appearance in the 1-A state championship playoffs.

“My favorite memory from volleyball would be last year (2015),” she said. “We made history because we went to the third round (of the playoffs), which is something Northside has never done. We had some close games. They were intense and we had a good student section.”

As fall came and went, Alligood’s focus shifted from volleyball to basketball. Being in a conference with elite teams like East Carteret, Pamlico County and Jones Senior meant earning a postseason bid would be a tall order.

That became the least of Alligood’s concerns on Jan. 15 when her mother, Linda, tragically passed away in an automobile accident.

That’s when Alligood’s athletic career gave back to her in a profound way. One of her favorite things about basketball was her relationship with coach Michelle Leathers. Aligood said that other than learning to be a better player, Leathers taught her life lessons that she will carry with her forever.

“I love her to death,” Alligood said. “She’s taught me more than anybody. She taught me more than my mom. She will just be real with you instead of sugarcoating it. She really cared about her players and it showed with how she coached. I just have a lot of respect for Coach Leathers because she’s an amazing person.”

That’s why Leathers was one of the first people Alligood called on Jan. 15 — and it wasn’t because Northside had a game that evening.

“As soon as I said (what happened), she broke down,” Alligood recalled. “She came to my house that day, she came to my house the next day. She was telling me constantly, ‘don’t come back until you’re ready. We’re behind you and I love you if you need anything.’”

Alligood proved time and again that she could persevere — a trait valuable not just as an athlete, but also as a human being in general. She missed just that evening’s game, which was a rivalry clash with Southside.

Once again, though, athletics gave back to her. As one would expect, Leathers and the rest of the Lady Panthers rallied behind Alligood. There was also an outpouring of support from the rest of the students as they packed Northside’s gym to welcome her back.

“I don’t really get nervous before a game, but I was really nervous because it was my first ever sporting event that my mom wasn’t going to at least be there. Sometimes she wouldn’t make it to a game, but I knew she was there,” Alligood said.

“She sat in the same spot and I would always look up there. She wasn’t there, so that made it worse. Seeing everybody support me helped. It was an intense game and wanting to win, it was stressful. I did get upset, but, at the end of the day, I knew my mom was proud of me for getting out there.”

Alligood continued to persevere as basketball wound down and softball began to pick up. Softball gave back to her in its own way, too. The Lady Panthers enjoyed incredible success during her four years on the team. They made it to at least the third round of the state championship each year.

“This year we were very determined,” she said. “Us seniors came together and said, ‘this is our last year and it’s our last sport.’ We buckled down. … We knew we wanted to play North Duplin one more time. We wanted to beat them, but we got down there and things didn’t go our way. But, at the end of the day, we were proud we made it to the fourth round.”

And like that, Alligood’s high school career wrapped up. It was a high note to go out on. Come fall, Alligood plans to attend UNC-Charlotte. She said she might try her hand at club sports. In the classroom, she plans on studying international business so that she can travel the world.