Alice Lloyd Volleyball Set to Open 2019 Season

by Ty Reagan, Student Contributor

The Alice Lloyd College Lady Eagles’ Volleyball Coach, Nathan Hall is excited about his young team’s first match.  The Lady Eagles’ team consists of four seniors, three of which have played all four years, two sophomores, one junior, and nine freshmen.

Coach Hall says that this freshmen class has a ton of potential. He is proud of what the team shows in practice and scrimmages, and believes that the team is poised for a “big year.” This year marks the first time in two years the program will be graduating seniors, and Coach Hall believes that the seniors have already played a big part in leading the freshmen. 

The team has made strides every season in the tough NCCAA Mideast Region. Of the eight teams, four are consistently ranked among the top in the nation. The program set the record for most wins in a single season last year and has their sights set on improving this season.  Coach Hall believes that while this is still a young team, that talent, combined with the savvy veteran players that have been in the program for 2-3 years, will give the team its best shot at the Regional Championship. Coach Hall preaches that his squad will, “take it day by day on the floor, with one step at a time, and build towards November, ball by ball.”

• Seniors-
  • Lindsey Perkins – Lindsey loves all the games and practices she has gotten to be a part of with her teammates, and for all of the team bonding trips, which she says are her favorite memories with the team. She believes that “our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”
  • Haley Smith – Haley also enjoyed the road trips, and her favorite memories include, “all of the awful singing sessions,” that, “poor Nathan,” had to listen to. One of her favorite quotes is from Master Oogway: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift – that is why it is called the present.”
  • Kenzie Slone – Kenzie is proud to have beaten Hiwassee at Hiwassee every time they have played and says that is one of her favorite memories. She says, “if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.”
  • Samantha Sturgill – Sam has made plenty of great memories playing volleyball at Alice Lloyd, but her favorite memories come from all of their “pre-game jam sessions” and all of her “practice bloopers” that her teammates say belong on a ‘highlight video.’ Sam believes that she wouldn’t be where she is today without the help of God, and says, “I have been so blessed with the opportunity and ability He has given me to play the game I love.”  Her favorite quote is, “because of the I am, I can.”

All of the seniors have set a goal for the team, and themselves, for this season, and they are all the same.  The tight-knit group all desires to improve their game and improve the team to achieve new heights together.  They want to help their team go as far as they can and set new records for this season.

Along with the seniors, junior McKenzie Brewer, sophomores Jasmin Hamilton and Kim Lee and freshmen Cameron Baker, Sarah Brummett, Katrina Collett, Jenni Droke, Hannah Gay, Elizbeth McIntosh, Reiley McCoy, Adrianna Riley, Callie Richardson, and Cassandra Walker round out the roster. The official start to the 2019 season begins on August 30th in Powell, Tennessee, as the Lady Eagles take on Crown College.