Photo by Erin Nelson. Photo by Erin Nelson
Vestavia Hills’ Jill Davis (8) passes the ball during the Juanita Boddie volleyball tournament at the Finley Center on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Ashley Hardee is a numbers guy. He wants to know the data behind the result.
Kills, digs, blocks, attacking percentage and errors are just some of the numbers that contribute to what the scoreboard says at the end of a match.
And like any coach, Hardee is always searching for ways to make those numbers lean more in his team’s favor.
Last fall, the Vestavia Hills High School volleyball team won the Class 7A, Area 5 regular season title, but they finished as runners-up in the area tournament after a hard-fought match with Hoover. The Rebels got a tough draw at the North Regional tournament and were defeated by eventual state runner-up Bob Jones.
Out of the eight teams that advanced to the state tournament last year, the Rebels beat four of them during the course of the season. They were close.
For example, Savannah Gann was a dominant player for Vestavia Hills last season, and Hardee is tasked with finding a way to replace the production she brought to the team, on and off the court. As far as on-court production, Hardee knows that won’t come from any single player, but from a combination of several stepping up into new and bigger roles.
“We’re a more balanced offense than we were last year,” Hardee said. “Our players have gotten better and I’m excited about that.”
The Rebels feature six seniors this year, led by libero Audrey Vielguth, who is a Southeastern Louisiana commit. Braeden Krablin is also committed to play college volleyball at Carson-Newman. Arden Warner, Grace Mehrer, Lauren Marron and Jill Davis are also seniors.
“We have a great group of girls and the bond we have is great,” Davis said at the preseason Over the Mountain Media Day event in August.
The team will also have seven juniors and a couple of sophomores.
“I’m excited to see how everyone works together and how the ages mesh together,” Krablin said.
Jordan Madsen is one of those juniors Hardee expects to take a big step forward as an outside hitter.
“She’s going to play six rotations this year and that’s a lot more responsibility,” he said. “She’s tough enough, she can do that. You’ll see her step out of being a role player into a big contributor.”
Millie Burgess is moving to the outside as well, after playing middle blocker for many years. Hardee said the sophomore is one of the hardest hitters on the team.
Clare Boyd, Emily Byrket, Piper Metty, Caroline O’Neill, Ava Windham and Ella Wisdom are juniors, while Kendall Glenn is a sophomore.
“We’re a well-rounded team and anyone can play anywhere,” Mehrer said.
Vestavia Hills is in a difficult area, featuring perennially strong programs at Hoover and Thompson, along with Tuscaloosa County.
“It’s tough. We advanced with Hoover last year and Thompson was a really good team that didn’t get to the postseason. You’ve got to get out of that,” Hardee said.
Throughout the season, the Rebels will play in the Juanita Boddie Tournament, the Tournament of Champions in Guntersville, the Eddie Preuitt Ford Invitational in Hartselle and the Margaret Blalock Tournament in Homewood.
In addition, the Rebels take on the likes of Mountain Brook, Oak Mountain, Homewood and Chelsea in regular season matches.
