MANY, La. (KALB) - The Many Lady Tigers Volleyball Program enters the upcoming season as the only high school volleyball program in Sabine Parish.
Head coach Haley Alford said the experience level of this year’s squad sets a different tone heading into the season.
“This is the first time we’ve had almost a full returning varsity coming back,” she said. “The year before, we lost five seniors. Last year, we kind of completely had to rebuild. They’re not as nervous as they would be if we threw a freshman or a sophomore out there.”
Players said the program fills a void for student-athletes in the area who have limited access to the sport.
Senior Mackynsi Newman said the program’s presence matters beyond the school itself.
“Around Many and Sabine Parish, you don’t really have a lot of opportunities for younger kids to play volleyball,” she said. “I think it’s just a great opportunity. Knowing that Many has it, it puts us out there, and it makes us stand out more.”
Junior Lille Cheek, who travels from Zwolle to attend Many, said the program gave her options she would not have had otherwise.
“Them having volleyball, it just opened up so many opportunities for me to have and me to meet so many people,” she said. “I would go home, and I would feel this drive to get better that I wouldn’t have felt at any other school that didn’t give me the same chance.”
Alford said the program’s goals extend beyond the scoreboard.
“Our record doesn’t matter. I want them to be good human beings, good role models,” she said. “So, we strive to do that all the time. Be the good person, be the role model because even my two little girls are going to look up to them.”
Senior McKenna Mallard said joining the team as a junior changed her experience at the school.
“I have such a great coach and such a great team that really helped me to bring out a different side of me,” she said. “Being on this team, it’s really helped me to grow as myself and as a person in general.”
Players said communication and trust are central to how the team operates during competition.
“No matter what, I can’t cover the whole court by myself, and I can’t get the ball all three times,” Newman said. “So, it really builds trust, and it builds community. Then on top of that, I wouldn’t know half these girls if it weren’t for volleyball.”
Cheek said that trust carries over into how the team supports one another.
“The team helps build each other up,” Cheek said. “That trust, if I can’t get it, my teammate right there can. It really helps build your confidence. I’m not doing this by myself. I have a team behind me.”
The program is hoping its success encourages growth of the sport at the youth level in the parish.
“At a recreational level, we could have at least kids starting to understand the game, getting to understand the little basics of it,” Alford said. “Our area is limited on its volleyball ability, skill, access, location.”
Newman said the program’s impact is already being felt in her own family.
“My sister’s on the team and being able to travel with her and play with her, it’s just been so much for us,” Newman said. “Just as sisters, knowing that they want to keep doing what I’m already doing. Like once I’m gone, like they’re still going to be here and like I made an impact on them.”
The Many Lady Tigers open their season on the road against Marksville on Sept. 3.
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