If there are any two words that, when put together, make parents smile quite like "full ride," they will be tough to find in this day and age.

Two local athletes announced during November that they earned 100 percent paid-in-full scholarships to NCAA Division I schools to continue their athletic career.

Stonewall Jackson senior Hailey Smith is following in her sister's footsteps in a way by signing on to a Southeastern Conference (SEC) college for softball.

Battlefield junior Hanna Radhi, meanwhile, announced her verbal commitment to play volleyball for James Madison University starting in the 2013-14 school year.

Smith

Smith officially signed with Louisiana State University on November 16, earning a full athletic scholarship as one of the most heavily sought after players in the country.

The 18-year-old Bristow resident decided to attend LSU in her sophomore year and has actively been looking at the school as far back as eighth grade.

"I love it there," said Smith.

She mentioned that she went on a trip to visit the campus at the end of September and sat down for a meal at a restaurant where the menu was in French.

"What's this stuff?" she recalled asking after her tabled ordered an appetizer.

She gave it a shot.

"It's alligator," said Smith with a laugh. "I put that back."

That said, Smith admitted that it was "really good" and she also tried out other local delicacies, such as gumbo and crawfish.

Overall at LSU, the university folks made her feel at home and the school had the major she wanted: sports administration.

Smith hopes to become an athletic director though she also expressed interest in becoming a criminal psychologist. She cited a particular fascination with exploring the mind of someone like the character Hannibal Lecter from the 1980s blockbuster "Silence of the Lambs."

As for how she earned the right to compete at LSU in the first place, Smith caught the coaches' attention through her travel ball play for the 18U New Jersey Intensity and Virginia Shamrocks.

For the New Jersey team in particular, that's required twice-a-month trips to the Garden State.

"They depend on me to do stuff on my own," she said.

While her travel career is the nexus for her soon-to-be collegian one, Smith helped put Stonewall Jackson back on the map earlier this year, guiding the Manassas squad to a second-place finish during the regular season in the Cedar Run District.

The Raiders lost in the district playoffs to eventual runner-up Loudoun Valley while Battlefield once again won it all.

During the 2011 season, Smith registered a .510 batting average, collecting 25 hits and nine home runs.

Stonewall claimed some big wins during that time, topping McLean, Brentsville District and Loudoun Valley during the regular season.

Before graduating, the 18-year-old said she would like to bring SJHS to earn its first district title since 2006. Before then, Stonewall even won states in 2004.

"I want to go to states," said Smith, adding that she wants "our year put up on the banner in the gym.

"Knowing that I was a part of that would be tremendous," she said.

Radhi

Up in Haymarket, Radhi made history by becoming the first Battlefield volleyball player in program history to commit to a NCAA Division I school with an athletic scholarship.

She earned extra accolades on Monday by landing a spot on the all-region second-team after clinching a first-team all-district seat earlier.

Radhi's play at the center of the front row turned out to be a big reason why Battlefield managed to earn its first-ever trip to the Northwest Regional tournament.

The 6-foot-2 junior led the district in blocks (83) and tied Stonewall's Lauren Oxley for fourth in kills (209).

Both tallies were team highs. She also recorded 58 digs and 50 serving aces.

"She's already proven to JMU that she's a D-1 level player," said Battlefield coach Chris Lem. "She's proven to me also that when she's in the game and we set her, she can really light it up in the middle as well as outside."

According to Radhi, a Lake Manassas resident, her play with the traveling Virginia Elite squad made her stand out to the JMU staff.

Her travel play helped her develop quickly as she only began playing competitive volleyball as a freshman.

She made varsity by her sophomore year and explained that, last year for example, she practiced four nights a week from 8-10 p.m. with an additional tournament every two weeks.

"I just love the sport, volleyball in general," she said. "Getting that kill is such a great feeling."

Radhi established a true sense of friendships with her teammates there too. Along with her older sister Noura, the junior was joined by Sofia Gasperino, Ari Gore, Annalie Robinson, Julie Leavitt and Emily Burtch as her support group when she went down to Harrisonburg for her last JMU visit before deciding.

She, Burtch and Robinson are the only ones from that group, along with teammate Ashley Young, set to return as seniors in 2012. Yet Radhi is already setting high expectations, saying she wants her team to "go all the way" through the playoffs.

"I'm excited about next year," she said.