Last year the Lady Royals took the court to face off against the New Castle Trojans in the State Championship game. The Royals lost the match, three sets to one, but Mills and the Royals still took away a very valuable experience from that match.

“It was crazy, Mills says. It was like watching college games but actually being the ones on the court with thousands of people watching. First time HSE Volleyball has gone to state and it felt amazing being a part of that.

In a season dictated by a global pandemic, the Lady Royals have had to overcome their fair share of obstacles, including taking a two-week hiatus due to a positive test within the program.

Mills and the Lady Royals stayed ready throughout the break, as they continued their undefeated season.

“We made sure to most importantly stay safe by getting tested and physically quarantining ourselves. On top of that, we had weekly zooms to check up on each other and from a volleyball standpoint, we made sure to keep everyone accountable for working out over that time for our own fitness as well as at home volleyball drills” Mills exclaims.

It worked as the Lady Royals proceeded to a 22-0 record to cap off the regular season.

The Lady Royals had high hopes for a title run, which unfortunately fell short in a 5 set thriller in the regional final against the Mccutcheon Mavericks.

Mills left her mark on the Royal Volleyball program, being a 4 year varsity athlete as well as departing as the program’s all-time digs leader over the course of her high school career.

Mills received first team all-state as well as first team all-conference in 2019.  In 2020, she was awarded first team all-conference once again. Mills also excelled off the court, receiving academic all-state honors.