Photo by Sarah Finnegan
Ann Vandevelde dives for a ball during a state tournament match last fall. She will transition into the setter's role this season for the Spartans.
There will be no seniors on the 2018 Mountain Brook High School volleyball team.
But that fact will not detract from the expectations for the Spartans this fall. There are several key returners to a team that was put out of the Class 7A state tournament by eventual champ McGill-Toolen last season.
“We all know what happened last year and how we ended in the final four, losing in three sets. That’s not something we want to happen again,” said Ann Vandevelde, one of seven juniors on the roster this season.
After winning three straight state titles from 2014-2016 under Haven O’Quinn, 2017 was a huge transition year for the Spartans. Vickie Nichols came in as the team’s new coach and inherited a young roster. Despite the circumstances, Mountain Brook still advanced to the state tournament and won a match to reach the semifinals.
“Now we all understand each other,” said Nichols, who enters her second season at Mountain Brook. “It’s always hard coming into a new situation with a brand new team. I was new to them and they were new to me. They’ve matured and that’s going to be the key.”
Grace Carr headlines the list of returners for Mountain Brook as a powerful outside hitter. She has been faced with learning what it takes to transition from a supporting role into a primary leader for the team.
“One of our words is to be resilient,” she said. “That’s really helped me to know that I need to back bounce back really fast, because if I don’t, it’s going to hurt my team.”
Carr said she has also gotten more consistent as a player since last fall.
Nichols said, “Grace is figuring out she has to be depended upon. She can’t have a bad day and she’s learning how to fight through when she’s struggling.”
Twins Ann and Liz Vandevelde are back as well. Liz Vandevelde is the team’s libero, while Ann Vandevelde is moving into the setter position after playing defense last fall. She feels comfortable with the move after being on the court with former setter Libby Grace Gann last season.
“It’s a little bit different, but being on the court last year and seeing how Libby Grace ran the offense helps me a lot, because I was able to know every single play from the defensive standpoint,” Ann Vandevelde said.
Ellie Dayhuff gives the Spartans a familiar face in the middle. Sarah Cat Cooper and MK Fowlkes will split time on the right side, as Nichols said she feels equally comfortable with both players. Sophomore Lilly Gilbert is expected to play a major role as well, as an outside hitter that can play all six rotations.
Greer Golden is a freshman that could make an impact as a middle blocker. Evelyn King will see time on defense and Celie Field is expected to grab some playing time as well. Janie Christian, Kate Amberson and Hannah Hitson are also contributors.
“These girls have a lot of talent,” Nichols said. “This whole group has a lot of talent. It’s going to be fun. We’re all looking forward to it, because we’ve seen a lot of fun things already out of us playing [in the summer].”
Nichols said this season will be all about “learning and growing.” If the Spartans can excel at both of those and add that to the already-present talent, big things are well within reach.
That journey begins every day at practice.
“We need to come in focused and ready to work hard,” Carr said.
