Last year’s momentum propels Lady Panthers

Posted 8/26/21

Alba-Golden volleyball represented perhaps the most memorable moment of Panther sporting activity for the last year. The winning point of their playoff win was a bit magical. In that instant the …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Last year’s momentum propels Lady Panthers

Posted

Alba-Golden volleyball represented perhaps the most memorable moment of Panther sporting activity for the last year. The winning point of their playoff win was a bit magical. In that instant the dozen players on the team – and likely much of the school and community – believed that they could be, and were, winners. 

That moment of ecstasy validated the belief in team and family which had been developing all season. As volleyball coach Jamie Webster admitted, “It was the ultimate clicking moment for the belief in team.”

That belief in team is powerful stuff. Likely it fueled the Lady Panthers basketball, softball and track  teams’ success through their playoff-bound seasons. Webster describes how it was the collection of seniors from last year’s athletics which provided that teamwork template to the others.

This year, Lady Panthers volleyball will attempt to take the template and apply it to a mostly new group of athletes. The squad may be young, but they have been hearing about the importance of teamwork since junior high school. 

“We can expect to have six players with previous high school volleyball program experience,” Webster admitted, “and the remaining six will likely all be freshmen.” 

Leading this group will be strong center blocker Kaylee Anglin. A powerful presence at the net, Anglin is fully recovered from a serious knee injury and is anxious to get back on the court. Returning volleyballers Cacie Lennon, Amanda Stewart, Skyler West and Kamrin Wright are expected to return as well. Anglin and Stewart are the only seniors. 

Can this new collection of student-athletes build their own sense of family in 2021? “Absolutely,” stated Webster. “It is all about the 12 of us, together,” she explained. 

A two-day team camp, conducted at the end of July was a critical part of that process. The clinic, put on by volleyballer Brittany Maness, allowed the players to innovate as a team, as well as build individual skill.  

What lies ahead for the Lady Panthers is an exciting season of highly-competitive volleyball. As the team matures and the bonds are forged that will shape their collective identity, Webster will be leading them on, “It will be our time…to change, to grow, and to control how we perform as a team.”

That taste of playoff success was sweet; don’t count Alba-Golden out.