Erin Nelson Sweeney Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Hoover’s Sydney Durban (4) passes the ball in a Class 7A state quarterfinal match against St. Paul’s at the Birmingham CrossPlex on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023. The Bucs defeated St. Paul’s to advance to the semifinal match against Bob Jones. Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Advancing to the Class 7A state semifinals last fall was a great accomplishment for the Hoover High School volleyball team.
But head coach Amanda Wood hopes that type of result is a normal occurrence for her program, with the expectation to compete for and perhaps win state championships.
Before the season, Wood senses that the 2024 team is eager to do something great.
“I see a lot of hungry individuals,” she said.
The 6:30 a.m. practices have become the norm for the Bucs, and they hope their drive and passion will propel them to the next level this season.
“Our strength as a team is hard work,” senior setter Addison Bentley said. “We may not be the biggest team, but we can outwork any of our opponents.”
The Bucs have a big roster this fall, both in height and quantity.
“We’re the biggest that we’ve been size-wise since I’ve been here, and that’s very exciting,” Wood said. “We have a lot of strong girls.”
Of the 17 players on the Hoover varsity roster this fall, nine of them are seniors.
“There’s depth at every position, with a lot of kids who can do a lot of things,” Wood said.
Four of those seniors are on the back row, with Sydney Durban, Olivia Guenster, Amelia Browne and Sophia Shofner all playing defense.
Setters Bentley and Madi Lopez are both back after gaining plenty of experience last fall.
On the outside, Layla Smith, Kayla Terrell and Madeline Splawn all had significant court time a season ago and are back for their senior years.
Aside from the seniors, Sydnie Broom and Abby Tingle have impressed early on in the middle. Aliyah Pooler and Eden Rainbolt will fight for time on the front row as well.
Cheyenne Conner is new to the program this year, while Addison Jenkins, Kendall Wilkins and Ivey Bryant will all fight for court time for the deep and talented Bucs.
One of the challenges for Hoover this fall will be finding out which players step up to the challenge when matches are on the line. Replacing the likes of Kendyl Mitchell, Grace Johnston and Kenzie Richards will be tough in that regard.
“That is going to be the hardest thing to figure out; which one of these kids, when the game is on the line, is still going to be demanding the ball,” Wood said. “Otherwise, I feel like we’re ready to step in and start playing. They’ve put in the work all summer and they’ve gotten better.”
Hoover will be competing in a new-look area this fall, against Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County, Oak Mountain and Thompson. The top two teams from the area tournament will advance to the North Super Regional tournament, but the Bucs have their sights set on going further than that.
Hoover will host its annual tournament early in the season, play a couple tournaments in Tennessee and play in Spain Park and Homewood’s annual tournaments. Some of the Bucs’ regular season highlights include Homewood, Spain Park, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Bob Jones, McGill-Toolen and Jasper.
