1 of 3
Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Vestavia Hills Volleyball
Avery Kampwerth and Katie Larson are two of eight seniors for the Lady Rebels this fall.
2 of 3
Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Vestavia Hills Volleyball
Katie Larson.
3 of 3
Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Vestavia Hills Volleyball
Mandy Burgess is excited to be back as the volleyball head coach after a three-year absence.
Mandy Burgess is back and her feet have hit the ground running.
She has reacquired a job title she held from 2000-2012: head volleyball coach at Vestavia Hills High School.
“I’m really excited,” she said. “It’s definitely my passion. It’s something I love doing. I love coaching, no matter what the sport, but obviously volleyball has a special place in my heart, and it’s exciting to get back in.”
She certainly ended things on a high note, taking that 2012 team all the way to the state championship game.
Burgess said, “That 2012 group was so successful because they were an ultimate team, they were just excited for doing well. They were supportive of each other.”
Now she takes over the program once again, aiming to restore it to the heights it reached in previous seasons. She takes pride in running a program that was consistently competitive, and hopes to do that again.
“We were very consistent. I know we don’t have nine championships up on that banner. I know that. That runner-up, do I wish it was first place? I do. But that group put us out there. As far as our program goes, I want it to be consistent,” she said.
Coming back was not a decision that Burgess took lightly, mulling over it with her family for some time. She has taught at Pizitz Middle School since her husband, Dr. Tyler Burgess, became the high school’s principal in 2005, and she will continue to do so.
She said, “We talked about it, and even though it does put stress and pressures on our time and on our teaching time, our family time, our anything-else-we-can-do-with-our-time time, I really love the idea too of my kids growing up around being little gym rats.”
Burgess admitted that she enjoyed not having to plan everything involving the program and treasured the extra time it allowed her to spend with her children, but at the same time, she could never truly stay away from the game.
“Even when I was not coaching, whether I would go to games or see people working on volleyball, I couldn’t really stop myself from helping or wanting to be a part,” she said.
The group of people and students she associates with as the leader of the program also drew her back in.
“When you’re coaching a team, and you’re around these young people like we’re around them so much, those relationships, I missed that,” she said. “I missed that closeness. I missed that daily interaction, and you could see kids put their minds to something and dedicate themselves to something and be unselfish towards one another. It’s an amazing process to me and I just think it’s a really neat thing to be a part of.”
The three-year gap between coaching stints means that Burgess has never coached any of the current team in a varsity-level game.
The seniors on this fall’s squad were eighth-graders during Burgess’ last season, likely following the success of that 2012 squad and dreaming of replicating that during their playing days.
“The kids that are seniors now were at our little kid camp when they were little, and they wanted to be part of it. They want to see it get back to that elite status,” Burgess said.
The Lady Rebels have the opportunity to make an instant impact in Burgess’ first year back, with eight seniors on the squad in Sophie Losole, Jenna Hogan, Caroline Dutton, Emma Grace Harris, Avery Kampwerth, Katie Larson, Mejra Shea Merritt and Manon Burris. Three other big contributors to the team will be Anna Langley, Anna Vines and Mary Quinn Carter.
With that depth, competition for playing time is intense, and that daily competition keeps players on their toes.
“No one has a spot. I hope they realize that every day is a tryout. We have so many different options, and some days other girls are going to play better than others, and that’s who we’re going to have to go with,” Burgess said.
Mixing and matching of the lineups should occur quite often in the beginning of the season, as the team gels and figures out which combinations work best together.
At the end of the day, she wants her program to “outwork everyone,” get back to being “a force to be reckoned with,” and be consistent.
Burgess said, “We’re not going to settle. We’re hungry. We just have to make sure everybody’s on board.”
And of course, as most coaches tell anyone who will listen, defense wins championships.
The Lady Rebels begin their season August 25 against Pelham.
