Tri-County’s Cara Parker is Her Coach’s

When it came time to enter high school, Uxbridge resident Cara Parker decided to leave her friends and town to attend Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School in Franklin because of the academic choices. Once in Franklin, the then freshman thought it a good idea to make some adjustments in her sporting life.
“I was a soccer player prior to coming to Tri-County, but when I got here, I figured new school, new sport,” Parker said. “At family get togethers, we use to play volleyball in the yard, and I found it to be fun, so I decided I’d try it here.”
Outside of playing volleyball for fun with friends and family the incoming freshman had never really played the sport competitively. She soon found out it was going to be hard work, but nothing that she wasn’t willing to give 100 percent to.
“Tryouts were pretty difficult that first year, and I had to learn as much as I could as fast as I could,” the then freshman recalls. “I really didn’t know that much about the sport and was rather awful, but the coach saw potential in me and took me under her guidance.”
Stephanie Caffrey, the now head coach of the Tri County Varsity program, was that Junior Varsity coach that saw something in the first time player.
“Cara was a little on the shorter side as a freshman, and we tried her a bunch of different positions, and by her sophomore year, we came to the conclusion that she belonged in the libero position,” Caffrey said. “She’s a coach’s dream player. She works extremely hard all the time doing so much more than is required of her.”
As a newcomer to not only the school, but the sport of volleyball as well, Parker found things a little tough at first, but soon came to the realization that she could play this sport.
“My freshman year was very nerve wracking. Then I made some friends and felt much more comfortable,” she said. “That first year, I believe that I definitely improved my game a lot, and by the end of the year found that I had good control of the ball.”
Being very critical of herself and looking for ways to continue to improve her game, Parker joined Metro West, a volleyball club team as she got ready for her sophomore year at Tri-County. That season Varsity Coach Howie King had Parker as a swing player, where the sophomore primarily sat on the bench during varsity matches to learn. Parker found it to be an enriching experience as she was able to watch and learn about hitting and receiving from the varsity players while getting to use that knowledge in junior varsity games.
Prior to her junior season beginning, Coach Caffrey was elevated from the JV team to the varsity squad’s head coach. Parker would soon follow
“Before my junior year, we set up a net in the front yard so that I could practice my serving and drills as my parents helped me get ready for the upcoming season,” Parker said. “I also joined the Blackstone Valley Tech volleyball camp which had a great impact on my playing skills; digging, diving.”
As a junior, Parker and her Cougar teammates went an impressive 22-2 on the regular season capturing the Mayflower League Title and then took home the State Vocational Championship before heading into the Division 3 Central Tournament as the number two seed. Being a key component to that team, the Uxbridge native was named Captain to this year’s squad.
“She’s my eyes on the court, and although more of the quiet type, she’s going to need to be a little more vocal and outspoken this year,” Caffrey said. “If we’re to repeat, we need her to be a leader in this program, the girls will listen to her.”
Parker is all for depicting the team in the best light possible while her teammates work hard at their craft.
“As captain, I am extremely excited and want to portray a positive attitude to the rest of the team while being a role model to the incoming freshmen,” she said. “I would really like to have the team be competitive once again and repeat what we were able to accomplish last year. I have very high hopes for this team.”
If the Cougars are to have any chance to win back-to-back Vocational Championships, Parker is going to be a key contributor and must stay healthy all season long as the Cougars have no real back-up libero on the squad.
“I am very confident in her ability. She has an incredible work ethic and is playing at the top of her game,” the Coach said. “Our game is tailored around her, she’s that crucial. Having no back-up at her position does not hinder our team, we do have people who we can put into her position if something does happen. Cara is also a senior, so we are going to have to begin looking for her successor.”
Although her senior year is just getting underway, Parker is already thinking about volleyball on the next level.
“It’s all going to depend on where I go to college,” the senior libero said. “I know that I couldn’t play for a high division school, but possibly a lower division. I want to continue to play volleyball whether it be for a college team or just an intramural or club team.”
While the thoughts of playing for a college are a year away, Parker and her teammates are hard at work looking to bring Tri-County another State Vocational Volleyball Championship to the school.