As the clouds finally parted and the Panthers’ softball team gathered its equipment after a 16-0 rout of Columbia, one player remained on the diamond.

Senior Alexandra Cutler was jogging up and down the right field line, squeezing in a quick workout before getting in her car and heading home. A dual-sport athlete, Cutler excels on the diamond, but is a leader and the Panthers’ star player on the volleyball court.

“She works very hard,” said Kevin Cutler, Alexandra’s father. “Prior to her coming to high school, she worked on her jump serve in the yard. She would serve onto the roof of the house. Sometimes she would miss the roof and hit the garage door, so we had a lot of broken windows. She really grew as a playing and got a lot stronger.”

Alexandra played volleyball for the first time in seventh grade. Six years and half a dozen broken windows later, Northside’s standout outside hitter is headed to Pitt County Community College next fall to continue the sport she’s come to love.

Cutler says she’s always expressed interest in going to Greenville to pursue a nursing degree, and had the intent of attending a two-year community college prior to a four-year university.

A former WITN Pepsi Player-of-the-Week and Coastal Plains Conference Player-of-the-Year recorded 150 kills, about three per set, for the Panthers last season. On the back of Cutler, Northside finished 13-5 overall with a 10-2 conference record. Cutler attributes her invaluable success at Northside to her coaching staff and teammates.

“They’ve encouraged me a lot to be better,” Cutler said. “It was really positive on the court, which helped a lot. If you mess up, they don’t get extremely mad at you. It was a support system, and that helped a lot to improve my confidence.”

Alexandra has the intention of continuing her volleyball career after her two years at PCCC, and hopes to eventually transfer to either ECU or UNC.

It’s a whole new team,” Cutler said. “It’s definitely different from playing four years with the same people. I expect more intense coaching, and I know I need to step it up some to stay in it.”