HANCEVILLE – Two new volleyball coaches used this week's team camp at Wallace State Community College to prepare themselves for the upcoming season that starts in a month.
Samantha Bryson at Good Hope and Amy Chambers from Hanceville brought the varsity and junior varsity to Tom Drake Coliseum and the Wellness Center for three days of competition that enabled the new coaches to analyze how far their teams have come and how much further they need to progress in the quest for success.
Good Hope's Bryson has some shoes to fill. She replaces Hall of Fame coach Rosemary Brown who retired after the 2015 season. Brown spent 38 years coaching at her alma mater, producing more than 1,000 wins including 49 in her final season with a Cullman County title and the 4A, Area 10 championship.
Bryson's inaugural season has experience back in All-County performer Kate Kent up front along with Sadie Abbott, Chrissi Smith and Abby Burnette.
The rest of the school is familiar with Bryson who coached the JV last season.
Bryson reported she feels pressure of trying to maintain what Brown has done at Good Hope for many years. Bryson had the opportunity to play for Brown and now has taken it to the next level in the sport.
"She (Brown) left me with good players and a good team attitude," Bryson said. "I am just excited to be here, watch the team grow and succeed. I am glad to be back home coaching."
Out of 17 teams playing in the varsity segment, Good Hope wound up with 13 wins in set play to only five losses, putting them seventh when the pairings were drawn for tournament play.
The Lady Raiders enjoyed the success of sweeping Dora, Brindlee Mountain, Cold Springs and Cherokee, while they split a series in pool play with Goshen, losing the second set 25-22 after a 26-24 win in the opener.
For Hanceville, Chambers inherits a team that has game experience. Carmen Johnson, Malia Howell, Charlotte Barnes, Brooke Barnett, Erin Wise, Peyton Vincent, Dinah Hudson and Lauren Robertson are developing good chemistry, with freshmen Emma Chambers added to the lineup for depth.
"This tournament has helped me with getting things organized for our varsity and junior varsity teams," Chambers said. "Kids perform different in a game than they do in a practice."
Hanceville got to experience a crucial situation in the tournament opener when they were matched with Cherokee High School.
The Lady Bulldogs lost the opener 26-24 when the Wildcats rallied after trailing 22-19. But Hanceville showed poise to claim the second set 25-20 and squeezed out a 15-11 victory in the tie-breaking set.
Veteran coach Cantrice Voce had Cold Springs in the event as three teams in the county system worked hard, especially facing teams they don't see regularly on the schedule.
All teams sanctioned in the AHSAA can report to their respective gymnasiums Monday to start preparing for the season. The season will officially start on Aug. 25.
Hanceville will play Cold Springs and West Point in a tri-match at Lane Horton Gymnasium while Good Hope will start the Bryson era in a tri-match at West Morgan.
