Next level: Q and A with Caroline Lucas

It wasn’t that long ago that Caroline Lucas was helping lead Pickens High School to a Class 4A state championship in volleball. She made All-State and All-Region her junior and senior years. She closed out her high school career with 401 kills at PHS and was chosen to play in the North/South Volleyball Game in 2021.

You can bet, too, that she’ll hold onto those high school memories. Her senior year at Pickens featured a dominant 29-3 overall record (6-0 in region) and a 3-0 sweep over Aiken in the state championship match.

Not too bad of a high school resume.

But she’s continued that momentum at the college level.

The 6-foot middle-hitter helped lead Francis Marion University to a 16-16 record this past season, a second-place finish in the East Division of Conference Carolinas, and a quarterfinal appearance in the conference tournament in Charleston. She started in every match in 2023 and played in every set while leading the Patriots with a .376 hitting percentage and with 386 points. She averaged 2.81 kills and 0.60 blocks per set.

Academically, she hasn’t let her foot off the pedal in college with a 3.6 GPA. She is hoping to enter veterinary college after her undergraduate years at Florence.

Coach Nikki not only helped me become a better volleyball player skill wise, but she thought me how to be a young woman, and excel on and off the court. She taught me life lessons that I can and will use for the rest of my life.

Caroline, the the daughter of Angela and Greg Lucas, took some time to answer some questions.

Q: Is there a certain memory that really stands out from your days of high school volleyball?

LUCAS: I remember losing in the championship the year before and how much it hurt, so playing my senior year with those girls I knew nothing was going to get in the way of us and that championship.

Q: What’s it been like playing college volleyball at Francis Marion University in Florence?

LUCAS: Super fun! My setter, Kaylee Gillespie, is outstanding and we have been playing together since high school. She always knows where to put the ball at the right time to get a kill.

Q: You mentioned that you grew up with animals and want to become a veterinarian. Can you elaborate on that?

LUCAS: I can’t remember a time in my life where I did not want to be a vet. With my Dad working for DNR, I was a little girl holding real alligators and snakes instead of plastic ones. I’ve always cared for animals and wanted to learn so much more about them, and hope my dream comes true!

Q: You also mentioned how your club coach, Nikki Anthony, helped you out. Can you talk about that?

LUCAS: Not only was she a great volleyball player, but she gave back so much to her players she coached as well. I look up to her for many volleyball skills, but also as a young woman. She has taught me how to be kind, tough, smart on and off the court, and how to have fun.

Q: How was it playing volleyball for a legendary coach like Peggy Gillespie?

LUCAS: In Pickens, we eat and sleep volleyball from a very young age. I remember coach Peggy coaching me in rec ball when I was in elementary school. So having her coaching from a young age I feel as if it prepared me for when I got older.

Q: What do you feel that you still need to work on in volleyball?

LUCAS: I still feel like I need to work on my blocking. I feel as if I have improved in the other areas since coming in as a freshman, but I still have alot more room to grow, especially in blocking. Being a middle that is one of the most important things, so I am going to work hard in the spring to fix that.

Q:

LUCAS: I was being recruited by other colleges in the area and in the Conference of Carolina’s. And I have been on Scholarship at FMU!

11. I had the second highest hitting percentage in the conference, and made Second Team all Confetence this season.

12.

13. Biology Major, Chemistry Minor