WOODSTOCK — Hadley Witherow finished off her stellar high school volleyball career with her best season yet.
The Central senior led a young Falcons’ squad and played a major role in the team playing its best at the end of the year.
“I feel like in the beginning of the season, we definitely struggled,” Witherow said. “But towards the end, we finally had team chemistry and started to improve. I think beating Clarke (County) was definitely our upset. Just knowing that we can beat them made us improve and be ready for all the other teams.”
Witherow, The Northern Virginia Daily’s 2025 Volleyball Player of the Year, had an area-best 278 kills, a team-best 44 aces and a team-best 170 digs. She also finished second all-time in school history in kills at a program that’s enjoyed a lot of success.
For all of the great statistical accomplishments for Witherow this season, Central volleyball coach Ashlie Clar said Witherow’s leadership really stood out.
“Last year and this year she’s really had to step up into a leadership role, but even more so this year with younger players,” Clar said. “And she knew that. She was our best hitter and one of the best passers on the team. So she just knows how to play every position, and she works harder than anybody. She sets that line, like the sky is high for her, and sets that ceiling for the other girls. And they want to be like Hadley.”
Witherow said she had great leaders in her early years on the team, and she wanted to be a great leader for the younger players on this year’s team.
“I definitely had to step up a lot,” Witherow said. “Being able to help my teammates, it actually felt really good knowing that I was helping the team and helping them improve.”
Witherow said she first started playing volleyball when she was in eighth grade. She decided to give it a try and it’s worked out well for both Witherow and Central’s volleyball program.
She was brought up as a freshman on a strong team, which advanced to the regional semifinals.
As a sophomore, Witherow was one of the youngest players on a team that had a stellar year. Central lost only one match during the regular season, before falling in the Class 2 state semifinals.
“Winning the regional championship, that felt amazing just being able to do that,” Witherow said. “And I was so young I could look forward to the other years. It was great, and being the youngest player on the team, it was definitely nerve wracking. But again, they all helped me out and helped me to learn and grow and get better.”
Witherow became the team’s top hitter her junior year, finishing with 268 kills, 25 aces and 171 digs.
Witherow said she enjoys being a hitter and loves the feeling of getting a big hit.
“I like to show off my vertical, being able to jump because in the off season that’s all I would practice is being able to jump higher, show my strength,” Witherow said. “So being able to just slam the ball down, it just feels amazing.”
Witherow, who was a first-team All-Bull Run District and All-Region 2B selection this year, said her favorite kill of the season was one that helped her teammate reach a milestone. Witherow had a kill against Rappahannock County on Oct. 14, which gave Central junior setter Caroline Eye her 1,000th assist.
“I think my favorite was probably getting Caroline her 1,000th assist,” Witherow said. “I was helping a teammate and helping her improve and getting her to her goals. To be able to be the person to do that for her definitely feels amazing.”
Clar said Witherow has become an even smarter hitter over the last few years.
“She’s such a good hitter because she can hit anywhere, and her volleyball IQ is something that has really improved,” Clar said. “And she’ll look on the other side of the court, and sometimes she won’t even have to ask us, she’ll know where the open spot is, and she’ll hit there. And if she’s successful, she knows that she can go to that same spot again and again, or she can look over at us and ask for our opinion, and then she does it right away. She can tip, she can hit. She can play the ball anywhere on the court and be successful. So it’s really hard for the defense to get a good read on her, because she can go anywhere.”
One area where Witherow has really improved has been her back row play. She didn’t play in the back row her first two seasons, but has made a big impact there the last two years. Witherow also plays in the outfield for Central’s Class 2 state champion softball team, and she said her softball experience helps her on the back row for volleyball.
“I was definitely very nervous when I first started, but then I grew into it and I actually enjoy diving for balls,” Witherow said. “I think playing softball helped me out to prepare myself to dive in for every ball and make sure a ball doesn’t touch the ground.”
The Falcons got off to a slow start, but the highlight of the season came on Oct. 21. Central swept rival Clarke County, who were undefeated in the Bull Run District at the time.
“Being able to beat them in three, for a team that knocked us out the year before, it just felt so good knowing that we could actually do that. And that definitely helped us for future games after that,” Witherow said. “And we played as a team. We were all together, and that’s definitely when our team chemistry finally struck.”
Witherow plays both volleyball and softball at Central, and she said she loves both sports a lot. Witherow made the game-sealing catch in the Class 2 state finals last year, and also had the game-winning hit in the state semifinals.
“That’s tricky,” Witherow said when asked which sport is her favorite. “But definitely I would lean towards softball, because of winning that state championship. Nothing can take the feeling of winning the state championship, and especially getting the catch of the game. I don’t think anything can beat that.”
Witherow said she has not decided if she will play sports in college. She said she has offers, including one that would be willing to let her play both volleyball and softball. However, Witherow said she has not decided if she wants to play sports in college or just focus on education.
Witherow said playing volleyball at Central has meant a lot to her.
“I think being a part of the volleyball team has definitely made me a better person, because everyone was just so open to taking me in even though I had never played before,” Witherow said. “So just to be a part of the team just feels great in general. It definitely helped me with my leadership, my communication skills and just overall being a better person.”
The Bulls, which open their debut campaign February 20–21 at Tulane and will face a challenging slate that features seven teams that were ranked in the final 2025 AVCA Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll, including No. 8 Florida State (two meetings), No. 11 LSU, No. 15 FAU, No. 17 Georgia State, No. 18 FGCU and No. 20 Washington.
