Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Vestavia Hills' Ava Scott Windham (7) serves during a match between Briarwood and Vestavia Hills on Sept. 3 at Vestavia Hills High School.
It is often a stressful time for a high school athlete to assimilate into a new team, a new locker room, a new environment overall.
But not for Ava Scott Windham. When she moved to Vestavia Hills as a junior, there was no difficulty fitting in with a new group.
That’s primarily because she already knew most of her teammates on the volleyball team. Windham grew up in Vestavia before moving to Tennessee for a few years. The move to Vestavia Hills High School was essentially a return home.
“I got word there was this player coming back that everybody knew and everybody was excited about,” Vestavia Hills head coach Ashley Hardee said.
“I didn’t know Coach Hardee, but he’s been so welcoming, so it was amazing,” Windham said. “The girls have been my best friends for so long. I stayed in contact with them when I moved away, so I was super excited to come back.”
She fit into the volleyball program seamlessly, starting on the right side for the Rebels as a junior last fall. This year, the Rebels have needed her services primarily as a middle.
“I’ve played every position since I’ve played volleyball. I’ve always been a utility player,” Windham said. “That’s something that has set me apart from a lot of other girls, and it’s opened a lot of opportunities for me.”
Most importantly, she’s earned the respect of her teammates and coaches. She was named one of the team’s captains, along with fellow senior Jordan Madsen.
“It’s such an honor to know that all the girls see how much I love them,” Windham said.
This year’s Vestavia team has big goals. The Rebels play in Class 7A, Area 7 along with Albertville, Grissom, Hewitt-Trussville and Huntsville. They are aiming to be one of the top two in that area in order to advance to the North Super Regional tournament later in October.
As any coach does, Hardee sees plenty of areas for improvement when he watches his team play. But he noted that the Rebels have to “peak at the end of October,” which is certainly within reach.
Windham said when her team is at its best, “everybody’s cheering for each other.”
“We don’t divide ourselves into seniors and juniors and sophomores. We keep each other at the same level. We have the same respect for each other,” she said.
Windham’s volleyball journey began as a fifth grader playing at the Hoover Met. She hasn’t looked back since. And she’s hoping, along with senior teammates Madsen, Emily Byrket, Caroline O’Neill, Piper Metty and Emma Wisdom, to leave a positive legacy at Vestavia on and off the court.
“You want to make it your best year, and we want people to remember us as people. Not even as individuals, but all of our hearts and being genuine people,” she said.
Windham aspires to play college volleyball, but she has not quite determined her next steps.
“I’m just going to go where my path takes me,” she said.
Her path has already led her back to a place that’s home to her, and she’s passed that test with flying colors.
“To move into town, be a good enough player, have enough self-confidence and be a good enough teammate to get into the starting lineup like she’s been there forever, that says a lot about her personality,” Hardee said.
