Photo by Erin Nelson.
Briarwood’s Ansley Greer (4) sends the ball over the net in a match against Shelby County at Briarwood Christian School in October 2019.
A pair of local teams are beginning the high school volleyball season with new coaches. Hannah Josey has taken over the Briarwood Christian School program while Grace Burgess is the new head coach at Oak Mountain.
Both coaches took the reins of their programs in the summer and named their first varsity teams around the beginning of August, with the season set to begin Aug. 20.
Josey comes from Edgewood Academy, where her team went undefeated and won the AISA-AA state championship last fall. Burgess has been on staff at Thompson High for the past five years, helping Judy Green build the Warriors program into one of the state’s best.
Both coaches have inherited experienced rosters they believe will help greatly with the transition of leadership in the programs.
At Briarwood, Josey has seven seniors who simply know how to play the game.
“I can put them in any spot any time I need them to, and they’ll know what to do,” she said. “They’re picking it up really fast. With them having all the experience they have, they’re able to pick up what my ideas are, what I want my systems to look like.”
The outside hitters, middle blockers and setters are exclusively senior-laden positions for the Lions. On the outside, Emma Crawford and Brooklyn Barger are back for Briarwood, while Ansley Greer and Addie Simms Roberson play in the middle. Maddie Vaughn and Bennett Shaw are senior setters. The other senior is Carolyn Thompson, who will serve as the team’s libero.
On the right side, Briarwood plans to go with a combination of Mae Shaw and Stella Helms. On the back row, Claire Lehane, Katherine Jones and Emma Ward will all contribute.
Briarwood has moved up to Class 6A this fall and has its work cut out in area play. The Lions will compete against defending 7A champion Mountain Brook, Homewood and Chelsea.
“I’m excited that we’re in 6A. I think it is going to be a challenge,” Josey said.
The majority of Oak Mountain’s roster has varsity experience from the 2019 season, giving Burgess confidence the Eagles will be able to compete at a high level this fall.
“This year, I feel like it’s really about making them the best team they can be together with some awesome juniors adding to the group,” she said. “Our core is good.”
There are six seniors, seven juniors and two sophomores on the varsity roster, a mix equipped with talent and leadership capable of holding others accountable. Burgess had high hopes for the squad she would have, but even those have been surpassed in the preseason.
“They have just really exceeded any expectations that I have had thus far,” Burgess said.
If she chooses, Burgess could put forth a starting lineup of seniors alone. Sydney Jaffe is back as a libero and defensive specialist, Lacee Sheaffer is an outside hitter, Landry Frisch is a right side hitter, Madison Como is a defensive specialist, Hudson Durrett is a middle blocker and outside hitter and Avery Fletcher returns as the team’s setter.
Out of the juniors, Emily Cox is a defensive specialist, Nora Ohlson and Sarah Katona are middle blockers, Olivia Steed is a right side hitter, Jayni Thompson can play outside or right side, Kathryn Smith is a setter and Makenzie Price is a utility player. Abby O’Dell and Makayla Ragland will split time between varsity and junior varsity.
Oak Mountain competes in an area with Hoover, Thompson and Tuscaloosa County, but Burgess prefers to keep the team’s goals inwardly focused.
“If we focus on our growth, other things will fall into place,” she said. “We focus on our process and how we can learn from every situation we’re in together.”
