By Staff
Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
If the Lady Tigers are going to make the Elite Eight for the first time in school history, they’ll have to rely on a trio of seniors to lead the way.
Lybarger has reason to be excited. Reeves led the Lady Tigers with a .480 hitting percentage in 2005 and finished with 409 kills as an outside hitter. This season, she will move to middle to replace Shan Jones, who will be a big loss after graduating in May.
Jones was a force both offensively and defensively, leading the team with 142 while adding 430 kills. Three other seniors were lost to graduation — Jenna Weatherford, Brittni Russell and Lauren Davis.
Orr was the team’s setter last season and returns to play that role once more for the Lady Tigers while Drake will be one of the team’s outside hitters. Drake, Reeves and Orr were all members of the all-area tournament team after Hartselle won the Area 16 tournament.
Complementing the seniors are five juniors and three sophomores. Filling out the team are Dana Lacey (middle), Emily Roden (libero), Kaitlin Faulkner (outside hitter), Shauna Clemons (defensive specialist), Candice Light (defensive specialist), Cerra Little (outside hitter/setter), Chandler Orr (outside hitter) and Mallory Jones (middle).
Last season, Hartselle advanced to the Region D tournament before falling to Muscle Shoals in the regional semifinals. Hartselle defeated the Lady Trojans in the finals of the Area 16 tournament, but this time it was Muscle Shoals who would finish on top as the Lady Tigers fell by a score of 23-25, 25-21, 18-25.
The Tigers ended the 2005 season with a record of 54-21.
This season, the road to the Elite Eight just got a lot easier for Hartselle.
Huntsville, last year’s defending Class 5A champion, moved up to Class 6A this year and Muscle Shoals, Hartselle’s area rival who knocked the Lady Tigers out of the Region D tournament in 2005, is moving to a different area in 2006.
Hartselle’s area foes for 2006 will be Brewer, Cullman and West Point, replacing Muscle Shoals, Russellville and Athens from 2005. The Lady Tigers will compete in Area 13 but will still be in Region D.
The Lady Tigers also have several difficult non-area games on this year’s schedule, including matches against Class 6A Austin and Huntsville and county foe Danville.
Lybarger believes that Hartselle’s strength this season will be on offense, and is hoping that the rest of the team’s game will improve to match that offense.