One of the biggest goals for any volleyball team across the state of West Virginia is to play in the state tournament inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
The ladies from Beckley are on a three-year run of state tournament appearances.
Unfortunately for the Flying Eagles those trips have ended in first round exits with the last two coming in five set heart-breakers that went down to the wire.
This season, head coach Bre Rhodes’ crew has a slightly different attitude.
“I feel like we have the team to get to Charleston and normally that is our goal. We are flipping our mindset this year,” Rhodes said. “We are having a championship mindset this year. That is what we want from this season. We are tired of just making it to Charleston and we want to get farther than that fifth game of the first round. So, that will be our mindset for the season.”
Beckley brings back a solid core of players and will dress 13 players on the varsity squad.
“I have been blessed with great teams for the last few years and again, I think I have a special group,” Rhodes said. “I only lost two seniors, so we still have a good core group. There are two sophomores, along with a big junior class and three seniors. We also have a big freshman class coming in and two of them I have pulled up to varsity.”
The two losses from last year are significant in defensive specialist Lesleigh Ball and ZaMahya Moss. Moss was a second team all-state selection and a major disruptive force in the middle for Beckley.
“That will hurt a little bit for sure, but we have a junior, Alexis Coleman, that has moved up from JV that will be in the middle,” Rhodes said. “She has gone to a couple of camps this summer and has worked on the quickness on the block. She can hit in the middle. She might not have the height of ZaMahya, but we will still have a big presence up there.”
First team all-state setter Abby Dillon leads the returning starters for Beckley. Dillon averaged nearly 10 assists per game last year and tallied 1,106 assists for the season. Over two years of varsity action, the multi-sport standout has 2,274 assists.
Dillon has also received some preseason accolades being recognized as the top player in West Virginia by MaxPreps.
“Abby is just solid and she is a go-to for us. She is a leader and can talk to the girls,” Rhodes said. “Abby can play defense and it is great to have that type of player on the floor. She is also a very level player that can keep her emotions under control.”
Emily Gallaher, Abby Mower and Saira Diehl make up the senior trio for Beckley this year. All three have been solid players over their careers and will be counted on heavily this season.
“It is a good group that are key players on the court for us. They are leaders and great teammates to everybody,” Rhodes said. “Emily and Abby Mower are defensive standouts, while Saira has provided power from the right side of the net.”
Gallaher and Mower were the primary serve receivers last year and with the loss of a big presence up front, the back row duo will play a key role this year.
“They will have to be quicker in reacting to the ball coming over the net, but they can do that. I have London Baker who is a sophomore that will help,” Rhodes explained. “Skylar Jeffrey will be back there for us, plus Abby Dillon. I have utility players that can do a little bit of everything. I’m excited and I feel like they can get the job done.”
Beckley is loaded with talent at the net where the Flying Eagles have several potent weapons who can put the ball down with authority.
Sophomore Salia Harris recorded 301 kills last year to lead the team. Harris has been a dynamic player over her young career. She will be joined by another powerhouse in junior Alanna Penn.
“Salia is really solid out there. She can place the ball and she has a quick swing. Salia is dynamic out on the floor for sure,” Rhodes said. “Alanna has an injury that she is working through, so she won’t start the season with us. She is a couple of weeks out, but we expect big things from her as well.”
The Hasan sisters junior Dalya and sophomore Anya add more hitting depth and freshman Reagan Rist will see some time in the middle according to the Beckley coach.
“I can put any combination of the 13 girls on the floor and they will be great,” Rhodes said. “I feel like I can win with any of them. It makes it hard to come up with a line-up and balance playing time, but that is a nice problem to have.”
“Injuries do happen, so it is important to have players that can fill those shoes and not skip a beat,” Rhodes went on to say. “That will be nice. However, as we have seen, what I start with in September is likely not what we will be at the end of the season and the girls know that. We will move players around until we find the right combination.”
Beckley will open the season on Sept. 2 when it hosts the annual Shirley Brown Invitational.