ROCHELLE — Senior libero Dempsey Atkinson represented the Rochelle Lady Hub varsity volleyball team on the Interstate 8 All-Conference list this season. Atkinson earned First-Team honors for the first time after leading the Lady Hubs in both digs (358) and aces (38) this fall. Rochelle took sixth in the Interstate 8 Conference and finished with a 10-22-1 overall record.

“It feels really great because I like to be a role model for the underclassmen,” Atkinson said. “I’ve never been an All-Conference player in volleyball before, so it’s a nice feeling to go out with that award. I wanted to put my all into every play and I thought I did a really good job of that this year. I kept my passes controlled and I thought my serve receive was really great this year. I communicated with my teammates and I wanted to focus on building them up this year.”

The 2024 season was Atkinson’s fourth with the varsity team and her second as Rochelle’s starting libero. Atkinson primarily played as a defensive specialist before taking over the libero role during her junior season, when she posted a team-high 256 digs with 36 aces while helping the Lady Hubs win 17 matches. Atkinson totaled 177 digs and 29 aces as a sophomore.

“I feel like I improved both physically and mentally,” Atkinson said. “If I made a mistake, I erased that from my brain and moved on throughout the game. I thought my serve improved and I didn’t have as many errors this year. My passing was more accurate and I thought my mentality had more of an impact on how I played. I really enjoyed my teammates and their company. We had so many laughs in the locker room and practices were so much fun. They made my day better.”

Atkinson is one of four senior starters who will depart from the varsity roster after this season. Rochelle will lose defensive specialist Emma Kennay along with setter Ali Ohlinger and outside hitter Taelynn Rodeghero, who each earned honors from the Interstate 8 Conference last fall. The Lady Hubs will look for their junior class, which includes middle blocker Audyn Kemp as well as setter/right sides Jaydin Dickey and Meredith Bruns, to fill the leadership void next fall.

“My advice would be to enjoy every moment and don’t take anything for granted,” Atkinson said. “You don't want to have any regrets and you want to say that you gave it your all.”