Photo by Kyle Parmley.
Vestavia Hills High School’s eight seniors on the volleyball team are pictured with head coach Ashley Hardee at the preseason OTM Media Day on Aug. 10, 2026, at Hoover High School.
The Vestavia Hills High School volleyball team graduated two-thirds of last year's front row scoring, leaving eight seniors to define what this year's Rebels look like under head coach Ashley Hardee.
"This is a new group. This is their group," Hardee said. "It's not last year's team, but they've been a lot of fun, all of them. We have a couple captains, but they all have leadership skills and they step up at different times of practice. And it's been a lot of fun to want to see them grow into being seniors. Most importantly, they can play volleyball."
Those eight seniors, Pepper Bedford, Ella Green, Kate Scot Hayes, Elle Hill, Lillie Hill, Sarah Orkus, Charlotte Poole and Jill Russell joined Hardee at the preseason OTM Media Day event at Hoover High School on Aug. 10.
Senior libero Lillie Hill said the identity of this year's team is shifting toward the defensive end of the court.
"This year, we’re very defense-oriented,” she said. "And I feel like that's going to take us a long way in the playing hard aspect."
"I think we're better defensively than we were last year," Hardee said. "I think we can be a better serving team than we were last year, maybe even serve receive. We do have to replace some kills last year, but we can do that as well."
Asked what he thinks the ceiling is for this group, Hardee didn't hesitate.
"I don't know that there is a ceiling," Hardee said. "I don't know that there's a team in Alabama that can beat us on our best day. Does that mean that we're not one team in the state and rankings, all that kind of stuff? Not necessarily. Like, we're going to have to work through and learn that."
Hardee said the goal is for that potential to show up by the postseason.
"That's my job. My job is to really try to get us play our best volleyball ever," Hardee said. "If it comes out in August, great. But we're looking to October."
Hardee said his 17-player roster also includes several juniors and three sophomores pushing for playing time.
"We do have a mixture of experience and the youth," Hardee said. "Practice has been very competitive, and that's really been a fun thing."
Hardee said the summer has already tested the group's resilience.
"We've had peaks and valleys, and those valleys have been at times, low," Hardee said. "But we have to be tough enough and resilient enough to come out of it in the game. We want to play consistent volleyball. One of our goals is to play harder than the other team all the time. If we outplay, if we play harder than the other team, we have enough skill to do it."
Julia Eaton, Payton Ellis, Maddie Falkner, Ryanne Head, Clara Preskitt, Hollyn Smith, Brie Triebel, Leonor Villalba and Cecilia Zane are also on the varsity roster.
Vestavia Hills opened the season Aug. 20 against Bayside before the Boddie Tournament and matches against Mountain Brook, Homewood and Briarwood. The Rebels also host Spain Park and Oak Mountain before the area tournament Oct. 15 and the state tournament at the Birmingham CrossPlex Oct. 27-30.
