Tanner Glisson

TROUP VOLLEYBALL

By Kevin Eckleberry

When Anna Andrews arrived at Troup High as a member of the volleyball coaching staff, she was tasked with leading the freshman team.

Andrews formed a close relationship with her players, a bond that only grew when she took over as the head coach of the varsity team before the 2020 season.

On an October night, an emotional Andrews watched as those players were celebrated on senior night before a game against Glenwood Christian. The seniors are Lilly Kate Doughman, Berkley Noles, Kirstin Vaughn, Gracie Corley and Olivia Parker.

“I coached them on the ninthgrade, junior-varsity, and varsity teams,” Andrews said. “And it’s not just volleyball, but this is my first graduating group as a teacher, too. This senior class is real special to me.”

The seniors have been a part of plenty of success over the years.

In 2018, Troup won a thriller against North Oconee to reach the second round of the Class AAAA state playoffs.

After not making it to state in 2019, Troup returned to the second round of the playoffs in 2020 after getting a road win over Thomas County Central.

“For most of them, the two years they’ve been on varsity, they either got pulled up to play in the sweet 16 (in 2018), and this last year we made it to sweet 16,” Andrews said.

One of the seniors, Gracie Corley, said “it’s been a lot of fun” to be a part of this senior class.

“It’d be a lot harder to play if you didn’t know them like that,” Corley said. “I’ve been with them since I started high school. I’m so close to them. Even out of school. It’s been a really cool experience.”

The 2021 Troup team had its ups and downs, but Corley was proud of the way everyone hung together.

“We’ve played really hard, and we stayed together as a team,” Corley said. “That’s really important, making sure your team members don’t get down on themselves. We bring each other up. That’s really great.” As for her time as a Troup volleyball player, Corley said it has gone by in a flash.

“It feels like it started yesterday,” Corley said. “It goes by fast, especially your senior season.”

We’ve played really hard, and we stayed together as a team.”

CALLAWAY VOLLEYBALL

By Kevin Eckleberry

It was a short-and-sweet senior-day ceremony for the Callaway High volleyball team.

There was only one senior on the Callaway volleyball team, so Shaunna Tumlin had the spotlight to herself during the senior-day celebration this fall.

Tumlin was a key member of a team that overcome some early struggles to at one point won three matches in a row, including a victory over rival Heard County.

“I’m super-proud,” Tumlin said of the progress Callaway made during the season. “At the beginning, we didn’t get along, but we did team-bonding, and we’re close now.” On a team with talented players able to put the ball away at the net, Tumlin’s role was to put the hitters in the best position to make plays.

“She is my passer. She’s my go-to for passing, and service receive,” said Callaway head coach Leigh Bailey. “We have a lot of hitters, but we have to be able to pass it. We have to get it to them, and we have to play defense. I’ve got some girls that can play some defense.”

Tumlin began playing highschool volleyball as a sophomore, and she spent that season mostly as a member of the junior-varsity team.

Tumlin moved up to varsity as a junior, and for the past two seasons she was an anchor in the lineup.

This year being the only senior, Tumlin knew her obligations to the team extended beyond just making plays on the court.

“Everybody kind of looks up to me,” Tumlin said. “I was ready for that.”