Oak Mountain volleyball off to strong start

The 2017 Oak Mountain High School volleyball team will likely remain the most experienced-laden team Tien Le ever coaches. That team featured eight seniors and a roster equipped with state tournament experience and high expectations.

Fast forward to the 2019 squad, and the circumstances surrounding the Eagles are much closer to the norm. This fall’s team features four seniors and a relatively young roster.

“That’s high school, you’re going to go through cycles,” said Le, the Eagles head coach.

The team got off to a strong start, featuring a 13-3 record through the first two weeks of the season, including a 6-0 run through their own tournament. Le believes they will only continue to improve.

“I think we should get better and better as the season goes,” he said. “Are we going to be good enough to get out of area? That depends on how much the other teams progress as the season goes.”

Oak Mountain will have to contend with the likes of Hoover, a team with plenty of state tournament experience, and Thompson, a team with high expectations in 2019, in Class 7A, Area 5, along with other area competitor Tuscaloosa County.

The top two teams in the area tournament will advance to the super regional tournament in Huntsville in late October.

“All we can do is keep working hard and improve and be the best team we could, and wherever that ends up is where it ends up,” Le said.

The Eagles have four players from last year’s squad who played almost exclusively, with a few others who got plenty of experience as well. Libero Sydney Jaffe, middle hitters Josie Ohlson and Zoe Atkinson, and outside hitter Landry Frisch return the most experience to the team.

Ohlson and Atkinson are seniors, along with outside hitter Tayler Collier and defensive specialist Lilly Yeatman.

Oak Mountain runs a 6-2 formation this season, meaning the Eagles have two setters on the floor at all times. Avery Fletcher and Kathryn Smith will primarily hold those roles. Fletcher was thrust into critical situations last season when star setter Maddie Moss was out with an injury. Smith moves up from the junior varsity team.

Ohlson and Atkinson are both back in the middle, keeping that position stable for another season. Collier, Frisch and Madison Comeau will be the team’s outside hitters. The right side has a pair of new faces, with Jayni Thompson, Hudson Durrett and Lacee Sheaffer working at the position.

Jaffe and Emily Cox both played significant roles last year and return to lead the defense. Le said the team’s defense, serve and serve receive are all strong facets, with the offense not far behind. He has been pleased with the progress his two setters have made, in particular.

The Eagles realize there is great room for improvement, but Le said the girls show up each day eager to get better.

“They know to be successful they have to come in and work hard and outwork the other [teams],” he said. “That’s their motivation.”

The Eagles will finish up the regular season in October, with matches against Clay-Chalkville, Northridge, Tuscaloosa County, John Carroll and Vestavia Hills before the area tournament begins.