In new class, Spartans still aim to repeat

Vickie Nichols has not had to worry about the typical doldrums of summer workouts and preseason practices.

Because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mountain Brook High School volleyball team is just happy to be back in the gym together.

“It feels really good,” said Nichols, the fourth-year head coach of the Spartans. “Everybody’s ready for some sort of normal.”

Mountain Brook is coming off a rewarding 2019 season, in which the Spartans won the Class 7A state championship for the first time in four seasons. After winning the title three consecutive seasons 2014-16, the Spartans fell short in 2017 and 2018 before returning to the mountaintop last fall.

But Mountain Brook won’t get the opportunity to defend its crown. That’s because the Spartans will be competing in 6A this season after the latest round of Alabama High School Athletic Association reclassification.

That fact, coupled with the Spartans’ need to replace roughly half of its varsity roster from a year ago, leads Nichols to believe some maybe sleeping on her squad.

“I know a lot of people think, because we graduated five, that will really hurt us,” she said. “The thing is I have four returning starters who played the entire season last year. We’ve got to plug some positions in, but I’m excited about what I’ve seen.”

It’s the most roster turnover in Nichols’ tenure at Mountain Brook, but she is high on the team she will put on the court in 2020.

“Our versatility is what’s going to be our strength,” she said. “You’re not going to be able to look at one player and say ‘If I just stop her, then we can beat them.’ We’re going to be balanced again.”

This year’s iteration of the Spartans will feature four seniors, two who contributed heavily last year and two who have returned to the program after not playing a season ago. Celie Field will begin the season as Mountain Brook’s go-to outside hitter. She was also named to the North-South All-Star team over the summer.

Evelyn King is battling for the team’s libero position, while Lilly Gilbert and Megan Lee have both decided to wear the green and gold once again. Gilbert will play as an outside hitter and Lee has the capability to play any position on the court.

Mountain Brook has a pair of junior middle blockers in Greer Golden and Hannah Hitson who possess plenty of experience and talent. Anna Bateh has a chance to take over as the Spartans’ primary setter, with Alexandra Carlson and Lucy Redden also juniors. Carlson is a defensive specialist returning after not playing a year ago, while Redden can play anywhere on the front row.

Sophomores Sims Kilgore and Alaina Long will both see plenty of time on the court, as Kilgore plays on the right side and Long will battle for time at the setter position. Mountain Brook kept a lone freshman on the varsity squad in Hannah Parant.

Nichols said it could take half of the regular season for the Spartans to develop their identity on the court, but she wants to see consistency and intensity from each player on the team. And she’s certainly not opposed to there being spots on the court up for grabs.

“Most of them are pretty intense most of the time, but when you’re fighting for a spot, you play a lot harder,” she said. “They’re very supportive of one another.”

Mountain Brook had a strong senior class a season ago, with the likes of Grace Carr, MK Fowlkes, Ann Vandevelde, Liz Vandevelde and Kate Amberson all possessing strong leadership capabilities. Now, it is on players like Field and King to lead the charge.

“They’re learning how to lead,” Nichols said. “We spent all spring, starting in January, meeting with our seniors once a week working on leadership and helping them find their voices.”

Mountain Brook still plans on playing the top 7A competition this season, even though it will not be directly competing against those schools for a state title. The Spartans will play the likes of Hoover and compete in the Juanita Boddie and Margaret Blalock Tournaments among others.

The Spartans’ area now consists of Chelsea — which made the state tournament a season ago — Briarwood and Homewood, both of which qualified for the super regional tournaments last fall.

“You’ll develop rivalries,” Nichols said. “The more you play those types of teams, the more you’ll get to know them.”

One thing is assured. Even though the Spartans won’t have the chance to win another 7A title, they have every intention of competing for a 6A one.

“Your goal to repeat is bigger, because it was fresh and you just came off of it last year,” Nichols said. “Yeah, we want to win. Who doesn’t want to win?”