‘Competitive, well-rounded;’ new FHS volleyball coach’s ’23 outlook cites key transfer
By any standard, Farragut High School’s 2022 volleyball team fell short of its goals. A losing regular-season record was followed by a season-ending loss in the district tournament.
But new seasons bring new hope, and the 2023 Lady Admirals might well have solid evidence for optimism.
A new coach, a wealth of returning experience and a 6-foot-3 transfer from Arizona all add up to a potential turnaround season for FHS.
“I feel like we have a really competitive team,” Farragut first-year head coach Andre Alves said. “We have some really good pieces, we have some really tall hitters and we have a transfer from Arizona. She’s 6-3 and a nice addition to the team.”
The player Alves referenced is junior middle hitter Paisy White.
“The components that we have, I think we’re gonna be competitive,” he said. “We have a shot to make it to state. We’re a very well-rounded team.”
Essential to any volleyball team’s success are strong front-line hitters. Joining White will be junior outside hitter Elsa Morrison, who stands close to 6-feet tall. If Morrison can do for the v-ball team what she did for the softball team last season — she was named Gatorade Tennessee Softball Player of the Year — kills at the net should be in abundance for FHS.
Junior Loryn Neeley will join Morrison as the other outside hitter. The other middle hitter with White will be junior Ashlee Llewellyn. Junior Maggie Hughes will play right-side hitter.
Last season the Lady Admirals’ setter was Tori McNair. The speedy McNair was all over the court, setting up kills for the hitters and leading the team in assists. A junior this year, McNair returns to the position.
Senior Avery Mandl will be the team’s libero — a backrow player who generally focuses on defense. Junior Emily Carpenter will be another defensive specialist.
“We get a lot of leadership from Avery,” Alves said. “Elsa is gonna be a tremendous hitter on the outside. Maggie on the right side is gonna give us some other options. The middle is gonna be pretty phenomenal.”
“Defense is gonna be good for us, and we have big blockers, so I think we’re gonna be able to get some big hits,” Mandl said. “It’s gonna be good to get all that talent together and see what works on the court. Everyone’s gotten so much better during the break.”
The Brazilian-born Alves, who played college volleyball and currently is a coach at K2 Volleyball Club, was an assistant coach at Knoxville Catholic High School for seven years, during which the program won two state titles and was runnerup four times.
“The transition has been great so far,” the new coach said.
