Photo submitted by Natasha Brown.
Clay-Chalkville volleyball is shooting for its initial state tournament berth in their fourth season with Natasha Brown, far right, coaching.
This fall marks a season of change for one local high school volleyball team and the hope of greener pastures for two others.
Clay-Chalkville and Hewitt-Trussville are each hoping and expecting for better seasons. The Cougars, under Natasha Brown, reached the super regionals, while Katie Riggins’ Husky team was unable to advance past the area tournament. Stacey Ewing is in at Pinson Valley, looking to supply the Indians with some of the winning tradition that she helped cultivate in her years as an assistant at Mountain Brook.
In Brown’s three seasons at Clay, her team has won the area without dropping a match each year, and has advanced to the quarterfinals of the super regional tournament the last two years.
The Cougars are aiming to get to the state tournament now, which would require them to advance one round further at super regionals.
“They understand that the vision has not changed,” said Brown. “We ran into a few mental blocks along the way that have prevented us from getting to the [Birmingham] CrossPlex [where the state tournament is played]. The vision is to compete at the CrossPlex this season.”
In order to do that, Clay-Chalkville will have to maintain a high level of energy, communicate well, develop leadership and accept roles, all things that Brown has harped on leading into this season.
“When you do your part, it makes the picture come together,” Brown said. “It’s like a puzzle. I’ve watched them develop over the summer. You have your normal struggles, but I’m proud of where we are today.”
The Cougars have a nice blend of experience and new faces to put on the court this fall. Mekaila Hill will be one of the team’s senior leaders, a middle blocker that Brown expects a great deal from. Opposite Hill will be freshman Lauren Charles, who could be a big contributor as well.
Destiny Washington is another senior and she will be the libero and defensive backbone. Other seniors include outside hitter Darci Champion, right side Kayln Bryant and middle Reyna Harris.
As far as juniors go, Jewel Mealing is back to be the team’s setter. Taylor Burrell will transition to setter for the Cougars, a new position for her on the varsity team. Shelia Harris will play middle and right side, and Erica Lockhart will see time on the outside opposite of Champion.
Morgan Mauldin is a junior blocker and sophomore LaKerrya Moulton is making the move to right side.
For Riggins, she’s entering her 25th season as the Hewitt-Trussville coach, so she knows the key to rebounding from a season where the Huskies didn’t quite meet expectations. But she’s still enjoying the day-to-day camaraderie with the girls, so there is no slowing down yet.
“When I’m not having fun anymore, that’s when I should stop coaching,” she said.
On the court, Riggins said that many of the Huskies’ losses were caused more by lapses or mistakes, not because of a talent disparity. That experience should help the team this fall.
“The ones that are returning this year, that’ll help us this year, because some of [the players] were with us,” Riggins said.
On the court, Hewitt-Trussville lost a big talent in Rhianna Tyldesley, who has graduated and will be playing at Maryville College this fall, so the Huskies will have to find new leaders.
Kaitlyn McDaniel returns to be the team’s top setter and one of the captains. Junior Anna Virginia Fagan has been on the varsity team since her eighth grade year and will assume the other captain position and play as a middle.
“Leadership wise, we’ll be in good shape,” Riggins said, “because both of them are pretty aggressive and they’re good communicators. They’re demanding of their teammates, which is a good thing.”
Trenity Wilson (junior) and Julia Farris (eighth grade) are expected to step into the role of hitter. Lefty Erica Jones will play on the right side. Riggins said she does not expect to have a true libero, but there is solid experience returning in Izzy Vidales and Mycah Moultrie.
Susanne Bouler, Alexis Jones, Rachel Riley, Miriam Stark and Sydney White are others that will see court time.
“Chemistry wise, this is a good group, because they all want everybody to do well,” Riggins said. “I haven’t had to push them to work with their teammates. They’ve done that. It’s a good group.”
Volleyball season begins Aug. 31. Pinson Valley hosts Clay-Chalkville and Hewitt-Trussville entertains Springville.
