Photo by Erin Nelson. Photo by Erin Nelson
Homewood’s Mira McCool rises to the ball in a match against Jackson Olin at Homewood High School on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022. Photo by Erin Nelson.
The Homewood High School volleyball team will hardly, if ever, face a height disadvantage this fall.
The Patriots feature five players on the front row who stand at least 6 feet tall.
“We have a really big front line,” Homewood head coach Andie Freedman said. “You can’t teach height. We’re definitely very lucky in that respect.”
Mira McCool is the most dominant of that group, as the senior hitter stands 6-foot-3 and is an all-around force on the court. Ellis McCool, Alora Austin, Ella Serotsky and Mae Noerager are all in that category as well.
It will obviously take more than simply some height at the net to make the Patriots a contender this season, but Freedman believes this team has shown the potential to put together a strong season. Last fall, Homewood was knocked out in the second round of the Class 6A North Regional.
“I’m optimistic,” senior Carson Jarmon said at the preseason Over the Mountain Media Day event in August. “We have a young team and a lot to work through this summer. I can see it coming together and we have real potential.”
There are only a handful of returners on this year’s team, and one of those spots to replace is at libero, where Sydney Humes once played.
“We lost one of the best liberos in the state last year, so it’s no secret that’s where we’re putting a lot of our focus on this year: defense, movement, full-pursuit mentality,” Freedman said.
Junior Emerson Buck has emerged as that potential libero for Homewood, with Abby Przybysz, Mariyah Ahmed and Lucy Murphree getting opportunities as well to help out on the defensive side of things.
“[Buck] has some big shoes to fill since Sydney was such a great player,” Freedman said. “She’s very technically sound, works hard and is going to have a great year.”
Katharine Fitts got some varsity time last season and is competing with freshman Kam Coleman and junior Izzy Knudsen at the setter position.
Ellis McCool, Austin and Serotsky will all primarily play in the middle, with Noerager hitting from the right side. Noerager is a sophomore left-handed hitter who has developed nicely over the summer.
Liz Cleland is one of three seniors this fall, getting her first shot to contribute to the varsity team. She said the team is “ready to get going” at media day.
The team is plenty talented on the court, but Freedman believes that the team’s intangibles will help take it to the next level as well.
“We need to continue bonding and continue to lean into that chemistry,” she said. “That’s a strength of this team; they really enjoy each other on and off the court.”
Homewood is renovating its locker room as well, an investment from the school system that Freedman appreciates seeing.
Homewood’s schedule this fall is no cake walk. The Patriots will play in the Juanita Boddie Tournament, the Tournament of Champions in Guntersville and the HeffStrong Tournament as well as hosting the Margaret Blalock Tournament. In regular season play, the Patriots will take on the likes of Chelsea, Hoover, Oak Mountain, Thompson, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills.
