ADDISON, Ala. — The Addison Lady Bulldogs captured yet another State Volleyball Championship this fall and for senior Lydia Ergle, it was a perfect ending to an amazing volleyball career. She moved up to varsity her sophomore year and helped the team win three state titles and she feels so blessed to have accomplished that with an amazing group of girls.
“Ending my senior season with a state title is the absolute best feeling of my life thus far. We made many accomplishments this year as a team and were able to grow as individuals, not only players. We are a very close-knit group and literally spent almost every day together, starting in June. We really do love each other and push each other every day to be our best. We put in so much hard work every day to consistently battle to earn this title, from 5:30 a.m. workouts, to practice every day after school, to tournaments on Saturday.”
She added,
“We have an amazing fan base and hometown supporting us and backing us all the way and we couldn’t do it without them. Coach Kaydi Woodward has helped develop and shape every single one of us into something great. She genuinely cares about our feelings and handles the mood swings of a big group of girls with class and grace. I couldn’t have accomplished anything without my parents and teammates. I am blessed to end my volleyball career with a state title. I know that nothing is possible without God. Keeping God first in all you do is the first step to becoming a champion.”
“I couldn’t have handpicked a better bunch of girls to end my volleyball career with. We laughed together, cried together, and picked at each other like sisters. I have been playing sports with most of these girls since T-ball, so it has given us times to really learn how to push each other, communicate, and give each other what we need. We have become like one big family. Every girl on the team is an outstanding athlete, but they are even better people.” Ergle said.
Lydia has played for Coach Woodward since her sophomore year at Addison and has learned so much from her in that time.
“She was the absolute best. She coached us hard and made us work, but still let us have time for fun and to be a little bit silly at times. I always knew that she believed in me and that I would be able to come to her about anything, sports-related or not. We are very blessed to have her. She knows how to win. She won a state title herself at Addison and went on to play college volleyball at Wallace State Community College. She balances being a wife, mother, teacher, and coach. She’s basically superhuman.”
She added,
“Coach Woodward taught me grace and encouragement. When I was having a rough day at practice, she would always lift me up. She never talked down to me or any of my teammates. She was always very positive. She knew we could do anything we set our mind to, but she also kept us grounded. She let it be known that it was possible for anyone to beat us, but we were going to outwork them, be better prepared for them than they were for us and take home the win at the end of the day or give it our all trying. She has a big heart. She loved everyone on the team equally and never showed favoritism. I really liked that about her.”
Lydia enjoyed played on the varsity team for three years and learned as much as she could from the upperclassmen she played with.
“My three years on varsity were nothing short of amazing. When I got moved up my sophomore year, we only had one senior: Sunny Strain. She was so bubbly and kind. She went out of her way to make me, and Dacey Baker feel included. She was a great Christian example. My junior year, we had three seniors: Addisyn Smothers, Bracie Rodgers, and Anna Grace Luker. They were also a great bunch of girls. Addisyn was the definition of a verbal leader. She was constantly telling us how to be better, how to win, and really just coaching us through the process on how to be a great player,” she said. “Bracie led by example. She was a Godly role model and always made everyone feel included and went above and beyond for the team. She was one of those “first one there, last one to leave” type of people. Anna Grace was probably the senior I was closest to my junior year. She kept me in line and took me anywhere I needed to go. All of these qualities in all of the upperclassmen before me helped shape me into the player I became.”
Lydia was one of the leaders on this year’s team and she helped teach the younger players everything that she was taught when she was an underclassman. She talked about what she will remember the most about her volleyball career.
“My main goal this year was to lead. I wanted to lead by example more than anything. I hope the underclassmen looked to me for positivity. I tried to bring everyone up and teach them how to shake off mistakes. I really hope that I showed them how to show up every day and work hard no matter how you’re feeling,” she said. “The thing that meant the most to me out of my volleyball career was the bond I created with my teammates. It was special and it’s not like anything I’ve ever experienced. My favorite part, outside of volleyball, outside of the gym, was the sleepovers. We all stayed at a different girl’s house one night a week. The parents would feed us, and we would all wake up and drive to school the next morning. That is special. Winning three state championships will be something that I will always be proud of.”
She added,
“My favorite memories consist of consecutively winning state three times in a row. I also have enjoyed making some great friends and getting to roll the town every year after winning state. What I will remember the most about playing with these girls is probably just the constant support and encouragement I have had from everybody on our team. We really do become like a family and I’m very blessed to have been able to spend with time with them and watch everyone grow.”
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