Reese Joyner (26). Brian Wilhite photo.
By Mike London
Salisbury Post
CHINA GROVE — Life contains plenty of mysteries, but you can usually count on things traveling in a circle.
Trish Hester, Carson’s first volleyball coach in the fall of 2006 and a coach who helped start the High Rock Volleyball Club that has helped local players get college scholarships, is now the assistant coach at Barton College in Wilson, N.C.
Barton signed Carson’s Kaylee Thonen, the 2024 Rowan County Player of the Year, last spring. Now the Bulldogs have signed Carson senior Reese Joyner, Rowan County and South Piedmont Conference Player of the Year for 2025.
“Trish Hester is about the nicest person I’ve ever talked to,” Joyner said. “You can tell right away she’s not just interested in what you can do for Barton volleyball, she cares about you and what Barton can do for you. She reached out to me months ago and let me know Barton wanted me. So I guess I’ve known for a long time that if I went to a D-II school it was going to be Barton. Trish’s husband (former Catawba and current Barton head football coach Chip Hester). I’d never met him, but he’s friendly. We must have talked for 30 minutes about Rowan County when I went out there.”
The 5-foot-6 Thonen didn’t play much for Barton early in her freshman year, but she made a transition from libero to defensive specialist, and she was contributing quite a few digs to the Bulldogs (10-18) by the end of the 2025 season.
Thonen and Joyner are very different players with different gifts, but they shared the traits of grit and competitive spirit. Failure was never an option for Thonen. Nor was it an acceptable option for Joyner, who led Carson to a 29-4 season, SPC championships and the fourth round of the 5A state playoffs as a senior.
“It will be great to play with Kaylee again,” Joyner said. “Kaylee loves the school and her volleyball team, so her recommendation played a part in my decision.”
When Joyner made her visit to Barton to meet the team and head coach Riley Casner, a young coach who was playing for Barton seven years ago, she didn’t discover any negatives.
“Beautiful campus, and everything felt right, felt like home,” Joyner said. “It felt great to sign and to know for certain what’s coming next in my life. I knew back in the fall that I would get to keep playing volleyball, but there was still some stress. It’s a relief when it’s all behind you.”
Joyner is 5-foot-10 and Supergirl strong from years of competitive dance and cheerleading. She has an outstanding vertical leap to go with her competitive fire. She received interest from D-I schools, but she made the right decision. In D-II, she’ll have a chance to be a factor as a freshman and she could develop into an all-conference level player.
“Reese is fabulous,” Carson head coach Kelan Rogers said. “She’s a great player, she’s a very good leader, and you know she’s going to compete in every single match. Winning is important to her.”
Rogers is a demanding coach. He always pushed Joyner hard because he recognized even when he first met her at Southeast Middle School that she had more talent than most.
“We butted heads a few times, had our ups and downs over the years,” Joyner said cheerfully. “But I’m glad I had Coach Rogers coaching me. He was the only school head coach I ever had. By my senior year, we were clicking. He understood me, and I understood him. Both of us just wanted to win. I owe him a lot. I wouldn’t be where I am now without him.”
Joyner is well-rounded. She’ll have a chance to win the high jump in the Robert Steele Rowan County Track and Field Championships. Her PR is 5 feet, 3 inches. She’s never focused on track, but it’s always been solid cross training for volleyball and cheerleading.
Joyner has been a force for all three Carson cheerleading squads — football, basketball and competition. Carson’s competitive cheer team won a championship in the NCHSAA state event held at Cabarrus Arena back in January.
Joyner, who can perform amazing gymnastic feats and walk on her hands across the gym, has been an All-State cheerleader.
“The cheer state championship meant a lot,” Joyner said. “The time we put in, the work we put in, winning at state made it all worthwhile. There were a lot of 5:30 a.m. practices to be able to perform the way we did. And sometimes I’d get home at 10 p.m. I’ll miss cheer, because I think the bonds you make as a cheerleading squad are the strongest bonds of all. Our cheer coach (Shae Adams) and I are bonded for life.”
Cheerleading remained a priority for Joyner in high school, although volleyball started becoming equally important by the ninth grade when she would play in JV volleyball matches on Thursday, and then sprint to the football field to cheer for the JV Cougars.
Joyner began to emerge as a varsity standout 0n the volleyball court as a sophomore when she had 271 kills. She had 340 kills as a junior, overcoming a major tragedy in her life. Her father, Chris Joyner, a 1998 East Rowan graduate, died from cancer at 44, just as that volleyball season was starting.
She’s missed hearing his voice from the bleachers since then. She’s dedicated her success to his memory and has made her mother, Stephanie Morgan Joyner, proud. Both of Reese’s parents are East Rowan graduates.
Joyner piled up 467 kills as a senior, with super hitting percentages, notching the last 24 kills of her high school career, one short of her career best, in a fierce match at eventual state champ Hickory.
Joyner plans a biology major. Her career goal is to become a veterinarian, specifically an orthopedic vet.
“She’s driven to be successful in anything she does,” Rogers said. “She’s a very tough girl and she pushes herself hard. She’ll be great for Barton.”
