PREP VOLLEYBALL: Montgomery Academy faces tough chore moving to 6A

Addi Vinson leads the Montgomery Academy Eagles to what they hope will be a state title in Class 6A. (File Photo)

By TIM GAYLE

Armed with a talented roster and a Class 5A championship, Montgomery Academy’s volleyball team opens the 2024 season at LAMP on Thursday.  

“I’m really excited,” said Caroline McDaniel, one of six seniors on the team. “Not only ability, which I do think we have super strong players, but team chemistry is huge and I think we have a lot of that. We have a lot of girls who love each other and will keep each other up.”

But the Eagles, a 2A team based on enrollment, will face the toughest challenge in the history of the program as the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Competitive Balance Factor will force the team to compete in Class 6A against teams with five times the enrollment -- and five times the talent pool for volleyball players.

But when your senior class includes McDaniel, Elle McBride and Addi Vinson, you certainly have an opportunity for a special season.

“We don’t know anything yet,” Montgomery Academy coach Julie Gordon said. “We haven’t won one match, we haven’t done a thing. Last year was last year and this year is new roles for everyone, new dynamics for everyone. Yes, they have very high expectations for themselves and I expect great things out of all three. Especially when you want to play at the next level, you’ve got to have that extra drive.”

The trio of standouts have individual talents that would rank them among the best on any volleyball program, but together the four-year starters comprise a special bond that extends far beyond high school volleyball.

“Caroline and I have been playing together since 12s volleyball,” said Vinson, the team’s setter. “And Elle came along at 13, so we’ve seen each other in club. We’re with each other all year. I’m setting them all year. It really helps our team because there are certain things we can say to each other that click automatically. I think it really helps us thrive.”

It all starts with Vinson, who takes the pass from a teammate and sets up the shot for a kill from McDaniel, McBride or another teammate.

“Everybody is set differently,” Gordon explained. “They’ve been working together for a long time so they pretty much know, but every setter’s role is to learn what is good for every hitter. We ask our setters if the hitters need it one inch higher, one inch off the net or one inch closer on the net, they try to deliver and both do a great job, Addi and (backup) Rehmet Sidhu. Addi is a coach on the court and her volleyball IQ is very high. To me, she’s the best setter in Alabama.”

Her fellow seniors would not disagree.

“She’s always constant, which is nice for a team to have a constant setter who always plays her ‘A’ game and is always working hard,” McDaniel said. “She’s always constant and cheering you up. On the court, she’s incredible.”

Vinson had 1,461 assists last season and should finish her career with more than 4,000 assists, which would rank her among the top 10 career assist leaders in state history.

“I’ve never had another setter,” McBride said. “Addi is a constant on the court. Without her and her mindset, how she thinks about the game, how she executes, I can’t imagine not having her.”

McDaniel battled through nagging injuries to both knees last year, forcing her to give up on her dream of playing collegiately. 

“I’ve gone through a lot of rehab for both of them,” she said. “I had surgery on both of them. I do think it did set me back a little. This whole offseason, I was focusing on working out to build up strength and going to physical therapy. It did, at first, leave a mental toll. I think we’re back to normal, hopefully.” 

She finished with 394 kills last season and should finish this season with more than 1,500 in her career.

“Caroline is a different kind of hitter than Elle,” Gordon said. “She has a variety of shots and sometimes she’ll catch people off guard. She’s able to spray the ball, hit the ball all over the court. When you have a variety of offensive skills, you have no tendencies.”

Vinson said McDaniel’s unique ability to change her shot in mid-swing makes her extremely effective.

“Caroline is very tricky,” Vinson said. “There is this thing that Caroline and I have. Sometimes, words don’t come out of her mouth and she just makes a noise and I know where she’s at. We have that connection. She’ll literally scream gibberish and I know where she’s at. But you can watch her hit and sometimes you’ll see her hand switch in mid air. She thinks about it when she’s swinging but you never really know (as an opponent where it’s going).”

McBride had 573 kills last season and is just 67 career kills away from the 1,500-mark but said her delivery as an outside hitter is sometimes different from that of McDaniel.

“Caroline has a lot of shots in her toolbox,” McBride said. “She is so good with her shots. Power is one of the main things I focus on. I think that’s what makes me hit better. I’ve had to learn, along the way, that shots are important, too.”

Both McDaniel and McBride should rank among the state’s top 30 players in career kills when they finish this season, a remarkable accomplishment for two players on the same team who split the kills evenly.  

“I think the biggest thing that is in Elle’s favor is that she has been working with a trainer that has increased her vertical jump,” Gordon said. “She is able to really get up and she’s very strong, so that has taken her to another level, even more so than last year, and that’s pretty evident when you watch her play.”

Vinson has noticed, working alongside McBride this summer as members of the South all-star volleyball team.  

“Elle is power,” Vinson said. “If I set Elle, I know the blocker’s hands on the other side are probably going to end up hurting because she’s going to swing where her power’s at. That’s really hard for other teams to pick up on.”

After three years of developing, the super seniors are ready for their final year and their biggest challenge.

“I feel very confident going in,” McBride said. “Coach Gordon has done a really great job of putting us in situations where we’re going to play hard teams in all these tournaments to get us ready for who we’re going to face at the end. But 6A, I do think, is the hardest. Last year, we beat a ton of 6A teams, a ton of 7A teams and it’s given us a lot of confidence but we can’t get too confident because it is like a whole new world in 6A.”

The Eagles return everyone from last year’s team except senior Isabella Johnson, including a group of talented freshmen that are now experienced sophomores.  

“Losing Isabella was really big for us,” Vinson said. “Losing anybody that’s six feet-plus on a team can hurt a team easily. But our past year at state and how good we did with these upcoming sophomores, they’ve grown a lot. I think we’ll click really well because of our defense. Our offense will definitely still be there, but our defense will be the strongest thing about us.”

It’ll have to be if the Eagles hope to contend for a state championship in a classification overloaded with talent.

“I’m proud of everything they’ve accomplished and they’ve worked hard to get to where they are,” Gordon said. “Starters in the ninth grade for four years and a significant contribution every year. There is a lot of talent on this team (but) 6A is going to be incredibly hard and challenging. We’ve been working hard and I expect and hope for great things.”