Editor’s note: This is an opinion column.
By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
Chemistry is a funny thing. When the players gel with one another — as they have early in the 2022 season for the Hewitt-Trussville varsity volleyball team — it can lead to extended success.
At the time of this writing, the Huskies are 11-1 on the season and have already won one tournament, the Hayden High School Invitational. They’ve beaten Springville — always a strong volleyball squad thanks to coach Warren House — and they’ve also beaten traditionally good Vestavia Hills.
It looks like a turnaround season for head coach Jackie Cox, and it’s a credit to her and her players.
The Huskies really came together over the summer, throughout the tryout process and then team activities like a beach trip that drew them together as people first and players second. A core group responsible for this are the seniors like Summer Cornelius, Julianna “J.P.” Perez, Haley Wilkinson, Marley Carmichael and AK Monski.
I’ve seen good teams in all sports come apart because of egos. Because I’m an old person, I recall the dustup that Reggie Jackson caused in the New York Yankees clubhouse when he told one reporter that he was “the straw that stirred the drink” of the team’s success. The rift in the locker room took a lot of healing, and it sank the Yankee’s morale for a while.
That’s something that I don’t foresee happening for the Hewitt-Trussville volleyball team this season. Their only loss on the year came against a very good Helena team on August 23, and they bounced back two nights later to drop Mortimer Jordan and then Vestavia during a tri-match at Bryant Bank Arena.
Due to some personal circumstances, I haven’t been at volleyball matches during the early part of this season like I was last year, but the Huskies’ opener against Springville was a fun matchup made all the more entertaining because of how well the Springville fans travel. They show up for their sports teams.
I was really pleased to see a lot of the Hewitt-Trussville student body there for that tri-match with Springville and Altamont. Often, women’s sports get overlooked by everyone who’s not a parent of one of the student-athletes competing, and that’s a shame. I hope to see that kind of support continue for Hewitt throughout the season. I know it means a lot to the players.
I encourage everyone to go out and check out one of the local volleyball teams. Hewitt-Trussville is looking sharp. Leeds beat a physically gifted Shades Valley team to start the season (and the Green Wave is 3-0 as I write this); Shades Valley will be very good by the end of the season. Clay-Chalkville has good coaching, good height and good athletes, so they’re going to be a challenge for anyone in their area.
I know that football is the driving force in sports in this area. But don’t forget about the young women who are playing their guts out on the court this fall. They deserve your support, too.
Bobby Mathews is sports editor of The Tribune and the author of the novel Living the Gimmick. Reach him on Twitter: @bobbymathews or via email: bobby.mathews@trussvilletribune.com.