TAMPA, Fla. — One look around the Plant High School Panthers' gym and you soon realize how big a deal volleyball is.

Wonder what makes it such a big deal, it’s literally all over the walls.

Eleven state championship banners take up a good chunk of the Panthers' banner real estate. Senior Kylee Roberts embraces that legacy and the pressure that comes with being a Panther.

“You want to add another year up there, right?” Roberts said. “You want to add your contribution to that wall.”

Plant High School is on another state title journey this season. The Panthers are currently the No. 1 ranked team in the state and Roberts is a big reason why.

She isn’t among the team’s stat leaders, but she does a lot of the work that helps pad her teammates statistics. Her contributions show up in other’s highlights, but that’s what drew Roberts to the sport: the teamwork.

“Everyone plays their part and I think it’s a great family that you can make with volleyball,” she said.

This has been a special year for Roberts, it’s her last season to make a lasting mark on the Panthers' program. She was nursing a broken wrist her sophomore year when Plant High School won its last title. This time, she wants to be on the court.

“I was so excited for this season because it was my senior year,” Roberts said. “It was like my last year to win states with this team. So, if I saw 2023 up there, I would just be beyond proud.”

She’s going to continue playing in college. Roberts verbally committed to Charleston Southern University in South Carolina. Volleyball’s taught her a lot about herself, how she can really push herself to be the best, and to never give up.

Already so many lessons learned. She can’t wait to see what she learns at the next level.

“I’ll be surrounded by people who are so much better than me,” she said. “And I think I can really grow with that. It’s going to be so much fun.”