By Rubin E. Grant
Mattie Gardner is in uncharted territory as she enters her fourth season as Mountain Brook’s volleyball coach.
With the graduations of Hannah and Paige Paran and Mae Mae and Annie Lacey, the Spartans don’t have any twins on their roster. They do have two sisters, Ava Ruth Borland, a junior right side hitter, and Naomi Borland, a freshman outside hitter/setter.
The biggest change is the eight newcomers on the team. The Spartans have only five returning players from their 2023 AHSAA Class 6A state championship team that finished with a 46-5 record.
“I don’t know if people will recognize us,” Gardner quipped. “We’re a whole new team.”
Gardner, who led Mountain Brook to state championships in two of her first three seasons, will have only three seniors, albeit talented ones in outside hitter Mae Mae Beatty, libero Ella Kate Wright and setter Grace Stewart.
Beatty and Wright were All-OTM selections last year. Beatty, who has committed to Montevallo, posted 331 kills and 316 digs in 2023 and Wright had 500 digs and 106 assists.
Stewart, meanwhile, is tasked with filling the huge void at setter left by Hannah Parant, the 2023 OTM Player of the Year and Gatorade Alabama Volleyball Player of the Year. Parant is now at Alabama.
Gardner is eager to see how Stewart takes on the challenge.
“I’m so excited for Grace,” Gardner said. “She’s been in our program for four years and she has learned playing behind Hannah. She’s committed to Wofford, so she’s got (NCAA) Division I talent.”
The other two returning players are Ava Ruth Borland and junior middle hitter Samantha Settle.
Gardner is cautiously optimistic about having such an experienced team.
“It’s a mixture of excitement and anxiety,” she said. “We’ve got several players who are new to varsity, but they’ve been in the program. It’s just a matter of them adjusting to the expectations and the pacing on varsity.
“It’s going to be so much fun to see what we become.”
Then, she added, “Do not underestimate us.”
Even so, Gardner understands there will be growing pains.
“I know we’ve got to be patient and we might start the season slower, and it might take us longer to click,” she said. “I’m not concerned about what our record will be in August and September as long as we continue to grow and are firing on all cylinders come October.”
The Spartans officially opened preseason practice on Monday, although they have been working out most of the summer.
“There are going to be so many things we’re going to be working on, but I really just want them form good relationships, focus on communicating on the court and getting to know each other,” Gardner said. “It’s about team building and team bonding. That’s not just player to player, but also player to coaching staff, communicating to them what we’re like and what we expect.”
Mountain Brook will compete in Class 6A, Area 10 along with Huffman and Woodlawn. The Spartans will open the season on Aug. 22 at home against Spanish Fort, which reached the Class 6A semifinals in 2023 and finished with a 61-10 record.
“We always want to start the season with a superstrong team,” Gardner said. “It’s good for us to be challenged right away.”
