The Set Apart youth volleyball 5th/6th-grade team from Quitman had quite a different season this year, going from not winning a single game last year to finishing this season undefeated.
Coaches Christina Thomason and Jessica Petty took over the team last year when they learned the girls would not have a coach. Neither had planned on coaching, and Thomason had not played competitive volleyball since high school.
The team, then known as Grace and Grit, struggled through the season without a win, although several games were close.
This year, Thomason and Petty considered finding a more experienced coach, but ultimately decided to give it another try. They brought in Ben Hartin, who serves with them at Cartwright Baptist Church, and changed the team’s name to Set Apart.
With just three returning players and several girls who were new to volleyball, the coaches worked to build the team’s skills and confidence.
The results were quite different this time around. The girls went undefeated and finished the season as champions.
Thomason said the girls worked hard throughout the season, and she credited the support of the parents and the team’s shared faith for much of their success.
She said the girls grew closer throughout the season, and watching them come together as a team meant as much to the coaches as winning the championship.
Thomason also thanked fellow coaches Petty and Hartin, along with Paige Brown, for their support.