STATE VOLLEYBALL WIN

For Westminster volleyball coach Holly Richards, the turning point in the season came mid-year in Lexington. It was a difficult game and Westminster’s varsity volleyball team had just lost 13-15 in the third set. “I just looked at them and asked what kind of team they wanted to be. Did they want to be competitive or did they just want to go out there and have fun? That’s what it took,” said Richards, a 1993 Westminster graduate who returned to coach at the school in 2008.

The message made an impact, and the end result was a team that accomplished both – being competitive and having fun – all while winning Westminster’s first Alabama High School Athletics Association (AHSAA) State Championship in volleyball.

A COACH COMES HOME

Richards had played volleyball since sixth grade, arriving at WCA for her freshman year. Her senior year of 1992 was WCA’s first year in the AHSAA and the team made it to the Elite Eight. After a year at Wallace State and three years at the University of Alabama, where she earned All SEC honors in 1995, she came back to Westminster in 2008. She set out to develop a culture of “structure, guidance and discipline.” “I think female athletes as a whole had to learn it was OK to want to win and that you could use that to glorify God,” Richards said. The team made the Elite Eight in 2009 and, before this year, had been back twice in the past two years only to lose to Montgomery Academy – the same team it would beat to win the championship this year.

GOAL: TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP

Junior Meg Paparella, named a member of the Super All-State Volleyball Team, AL.com’s Huntsville Region Volleyball Player of the Year and 4A State Tournament MVP, said the team’s goal for the entire year was to bring the title home. “After losing a few games that we knew we should have won, our mindsets completely changed. We all were on the same page in that we could beat any team needed to win state. Everyone worked harder, came together as a team, and the intensity in our game was next level.”

Brianna Tinsley, a junior named to the 4A State All-Tournament Team and Honorable Mention in the All-Region Team, said her favorite memory of the year was beating Madison County for the regional championship. “I knew at that point we had the confidence going into state that we could win it all. We couldn’t have done it without the support from our school, our student section and our hard work,” she said.

Calli Tanielu, a junior named to 4A State All-Tournament Team and AL.com’s Huntsville All-Region Volleyball Team, said while winning the state championship was amazing, it was the game before it that she will always remember. “I really do believe that is the hardest we have ever played,” Tanielu said. “We never gave up on each other or on the game in general. But my favorite part was after the game. When we won, we all ran to our fantastic student section that traveled all that way to cheer us on. We got to celebrate with them, and it was so surreal and pure. Our whole school was there watching and cheering and never gave up on us.”

Support from the school – including a student section that was so large it made it into press coverage – was cited by Richards and all the players. “The number of students, coaches, and teachers that came to cheer us on really made a huge difference,” Paparella said. “After we won, we knew that we not only had made ourselves proud, but the whole Westminster community.”

CHANGES AND A BRIGHT FUTURE

Senior Holland Hensley has been the volleyball manager since her sophomore year. Since then, she has seen the girls grow, “not just in who they are as volleyball players but also as people.” “The way they have learned to play as a team and take care of each other is amazing. I gained a lot of good friendships and relationships over the years and I will definitely miss it,” she said.

Losing only one senior, Westminster’s team plans to be back in the mix next year, despite a jump to 5A. “There is still untapped potential in every player and team,” Richards said. “There is always a way to get better. Always a way to improve.” No matter what happens on the court, however, Richards is proud of her team. “Girls that are part of the program aren’t just great athletes, they are genuinely good kids. The fact that they can excel in sports is just icing on the cake.”