Home away from home

The Hoover connection runs deep on the University of Alabama in Huntsville volleyball team.

Anna Claire Johnson, Morgan Scott, Caroline Sanford and Ali Lowe all hail from the city of Hoover. Scott attended Spain Park High School, while Johnson, Sanford and Lowe went to Hoover High.

All four are now contributors at UAH, and have woven intersecting paths with one another to form a strong, common bond.

Johnson and Scott are both seniors, and although they went to different high schools, they have played together for eight years.

“I played club starting in eighth grade and Anna Claire was on my club team every year,” Scott said. “I didn’t know UAH was a school until she committed here. I kind of followed her up here and now we’re roommates. I enjoy playing with her.”

Johnson said that she and Scott have played together for so long that she views their relationship “almost like sisters.”

“We’ve grown up together,” Johnson said. “From age 14 to 21, you’re a completely different person. It’s really cool to go through life together.”

For Lowe and Sanford, Johnson provided a figure at Hoover to look up to. All three were parts of state tournament runs in high school, despite not quite being able to make it over the hump and win the state championship.

“It was kind of heartbreaking [our junior year],” Sanford said. “We really, really wanted it and worked really, really hard and we thought we had it. We just didn’t perform when it was the most important.”

Since Lowe and Sanford arrived at UAH, the hometown core has been joined at the hip.

“I was really glad that I knew girls coming into college,” Lowe said.

Although neither had played with Scott before, her proximity to Johnson made the newfound relationship come naturally.

“When they came in, they knew Anna Claire, and I felt like I should take them under my wing, too. Ever since they came, it’s been fun,” Scott said.

All four have remained in close contact with their past in Hoover. Johnson, Sanford and Lowe are still actively involved in Hoover’s volleyball program, practicing with them in the summer and helping out when they can. Scott walks the halls at Spain Park a couple times each semester to visit teachers, and is quick to bring up the fact that the Jags knocked off the Bucs on the volleyball court earlier this year for the first time in several years.

For the Hoover grads, Bucs coach Chris Camper recalls fondly the impact the three girls have had on his program. 

“They are what we’re looking for and we hope to continue to produce a bunch of them,” he said. “Girls that love volleyball and are loyal and come back home as much as possible. They loved our program. They’re our biggest fans.”

Individually, Camper lauded Johnson as a great all-around player and still marvels at Lowe’s power. Sanford brings joy and energy each time she steps on the court and is an excellent middle blocker.

“All three of them are very dynamic,” he said. “They’re incredibly good athletes. They can run and jump and play with a lot of power.”

As far as future plans go, Johnson plans to become an English teacher and wants to coach the sport she has played for so long. Sanford is minoring in tech writing and plans to pursue something in that area. Lowe and Scott are both planning to enter the physical therapy field.