Even for a first year program in 2015, the Lady Warriors of White County nearly made the state tournament, falling just one win shy of reaching the postseason.
Now in their second year as a varsity program, the Lady Warriors and head coach Laura Gazaway are looking to make huge strides in 2016. The inaugural team went 8-28, but competed nightly and were one win shy of reaching state in the first season after falling to North Hall.
This year, the bar is set high, and seniors Eliza Harris, Sydney Pardue and Charlsie Maddox anchor a group that is hungry for more. The three seniors have grown up together and have been on the court together since sophomore year.
The seniors included, there have been monumental strides within this program.
“The very first year, it was so crazy,” adds Gazaway.
“I had to teach them volleyball lingo, just the way we talk. They’re starting to understand, this is how this works. By this year, I can see such a jump from the kids that are coming up from the feeder programs, and we’re just getting better.”
Pardue states that this year’s team has more commitment than last year’s team, which didn’t have any seniors that endured the first season. The girls have learned more than just volleyball lingo and how to play the game. Many, including the seniors, have grown exponentially over the past year.
“When I first started, I didn’t have any confidence in myself,” says Pardue. “I joined a club volleyball team, and they helped me [build my confidence].”
The excitement surrounding the program has already paid dividends.
“You can tell that now people are saying, White County has volleyball here,” says Gazaway. “They’re asking, ‘when can I play?’ We hope to build something special here at White County, where people say, ‘all they do there is play volleyball.'”
Make no mistake, this year White County wants more than just to compete on a night-to-night basis.
“I think we are totally going to make it to state,” says Pardue. “That’s going to be a huge thing, but we’re going to have to work our butts off.”
