The high-flying James Clemens volleyball team
Jets players (l to r) Sydney Edmonds, Haley Hop, Katelyn Jenkins, Marigrace Holt, and Cassidy Wilson
(RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT)
MADISON- Last season the James Clemens volleyball team claimed the first title of any kind for the school. They swept the competition in Class 6A, Area 16 and will hang a banner in their gym at the home opener on August 29.
At the north regional they came up one win short against Vestavia Hills. This year they are going for state.
Haley Hop, the 35th best volleyball player in the state according to Maxpreps, returns.
In 56 sets played the junior led the team with 167 kills and 23 aces.
“We worked out a lot with weights this summer. We started the first week of summer. We have a long way to go but we can definitely get there,” Hop said.
Hop plays travel volleyball when not in season. Her team went to Orlando for a tournament this summer. She even tried her hand at beach volleyball and with teammate Addison Hoven the pair won the Gulf Coast Region Tournament in Gulf Shores in June.
“I’m looking at a lot of colleges, I don’t have my mind set on any but I would love to go anywhere like Alabama, Auburn, UAB, other big schools and I hope to get a scholarship.”
Last year James Clemens dominated the teams in Class 6A, Area 16 going a perfect 6-0 in matches. They only lost one game in area play.
We’re not going to underestimate any team so we’re going to work hard to be that dominant again this season,” Hop said.
“I went to state as a freshman at Bob Jones and I want to get back there with this team. Volleyball is really a team effort.”
Head coach Amanda Smith returns key players at every position. Juniors Katelyn Jenkins (5-foot-7 setter), Hop (5-foot-8 outside hitter), Marigrace Holt (5-foot-7 hitter), and Maggie Harr (5-foot-10 blocker/hitter) form the team nucleus.
Sydney Edmonds (5-foot-10, blocker) has moved into the rotation and senior Ellisia Kimble (5-foot-8, blocker) returns.
Smith believes the toughest competition will come right here in the Huntsville area. Huntsville High has won four straight state volleyball championships.
“We went to a play date in Hoover and the Birmingham teams are always strong but the major teams are here in Huntsville.”
Smith played and graduated from UAH. She is now a teacher at James Clemens.
Jets coach Amanda Smith
She said none of the girls have scholarship offers yet but it is not out of the question for Haley Hop to get an SEC offer.
“The SEC looks at height. It doesn’t matter if you can jump out of the gym,” said Smith.
She guessed that 5-foot-10 is the minimum for an SEC player.
James Clemens will go to weekend tournaments in Gulf Shores, Knoxville, and Murfreesboro.
“I wanted to take them up to some big tournaments so any big hitter we face we will know how to react to them.
We are still figuring out what we need to work on, what’s working and what’s not working,” Smith said after a Saturday full of practice games on August 17 the Jets hosted for new referee training.
Smith is working with 6-foot-2 Katrina Avery to make her a force at the net. Avery is a senior and this is her first year of competition volleyball.
