Photo by Erin Nelson.
Homewood’s Mackenzie Yoakum (11) sends the ball over the net during a game against Mountain Brook at Homewood High School in September 2019.
Andie Freedman was gearing up for another season as an assistant coach with the Hoover High School volleyball program.
That is, until the head coaching job at Homewood came available in the summer. After a stellar 2019 season, Cynthia Padgett moved with her family to New Mexico once husband Scott was hired at the University of New Mexico as a basketball assistant.
Freedman, who played on the 2000 Homewood volleyball team that finished as the Class 5A runner-up and eventually graduated from Vestavia Hills, wound up as the Lady Patriots’ new coach mere weeks before the start of the season.
“I got the call out of the blue and talked to [athletic director] Coach [Doug] Gann, came in for an interview and a few days later they were getting me in,” Freedman said. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s real, but it’s been great.”
Freedman’s hire was approved July 30, giving her less than a month to get Homewood prepared for the season ahead. But two things are working in her favor. She spent the past five years working for Chris Camper at Hoover, one of the state’s top programs on a yearly basis. She also inherited a talented and experienced squad.
“I assisted under Coach Camper in that program for five years, and it was a fantastic learning experience for me to learn how a veteran coach runs his program,” Freedman said. “It was high level volleyball, and that’s the bar. Coming over here, I can already see some really high level players as well.”
Last fall, Homewood qualified for the 6A North Super Regional and nearly completed a comeback effort against Athens in the first round. The Patriots rallied after dropping the first two sets of the match to win sets three and four before dropping the decisive set 15-13.
Freedman commended Padgett for the job she did with the program last fall and for the obvious improvement the group made throughout the off season. Before Freedman arrived, the Lady Patriots chose three descriptors to permeate the team for the upcoming season: competitive, hard-working and encouraging.
“This group embodies that completely,” Freedman said.
Homewood has a large group of seven seniors, most of whom have contributed significantly to the varsity program over the past couple years. Abby Wilson, Emma Johnson, Jane Wilson, Emma Lee Floyd, Sarah Smith, Xeo Jenkins and Alex Hershbine will play one final season for the Lady Patriots.
But they aren’t the only ones returning from last year. Juniors Olivia Brown and Mackenzie Yoakum had big seasons last year, and the Lady Patriots are expecting them to elevate their play even more. Brown is a dominant middle hitter, according to her coach, and Yoakum is a 6-foot left-handed outside hitter. Freedman has also been impressed with fellow juniors Haley Callaham and Lily Janas’ recent development. Olivia Outman, Sydney Humes, Shawnise Gregory and Mary Przybysz are also on Homewood’s varsity squad and will provide quality reps throughout the season.
Homewood faces a tall task in order to make a return to the postseason this fall. The Lady Patriots will play in an area this fall with defending 7A champion Mountain Brook, Chelsea — which made the state tournament last fall — and Briarwood.
“We are excited about playing quality teams and competing,” Freedman said.
