CALEDONIA — Playing libero fits Maddy Suggs and Alexa Lindsey.
Neither Suggs nor Lindsey knows exactly why they enjoy playing the roaming, back-row position so much. Maybe they just love flying all over the court trying to keep the ball alive. It also could be they relish inspiring their teammates with hustle plays.
Suggs and Lindsey showed all of those qualities this week during the Caledonia High School volleyball program’s stay in the three-day Bob Bertucci Camp in Tupelo. For their efforts, Suggs and Lindsey received the Coaches Awards for their respective teams (varsity and junior varsity) on the final day of the event.
“It was just an honor because the whole team is so good and we work well together and everyone plays with heart,” Suggs said.
Suggs, a rising sophomore, feels libero fits her personality because she is fast and she is able to get to balls others aren’t able to get to. She hopes to use that quickness when Caledonia High kicks off its season Monday, Aug. 7, against Heritage Academy.
A year ago, Bailie Cross and Ansley Brown won the varsity and JV awards for Caledonia at the Bertucci Camp. The lessons learned from the camp contributed to a 27-6 campaign that saw Caledonia advance to the second round of the Mississippi High School Activities (MHSAA) Class II playoffs.
Caledonia coach Samantha Brooks hopes her team reaps similar dividends this season. She said Suggs and Lindsey were deserving of their awards for their inspired play.
“Those Tupelo girls can hit the ball. They were hammering it and she was diving all over and picking them up,” Brooks said. “Maddy was the standout. One of the things coach Tina (Bertucci) said about Maddy was her heart. She would brag on Maddy and say she is very competitive and she wants to win and is completely focused.”
Suggs believes the confidence Caledonia gained from a victory against Class 6A Tupelo and a two-point loss to Tupelo will give the squad added confidence. She said her performance at the camp makes her believe she can be a positive influence on her teammates.
“Every practice I give it all like it is the last time I will ever play,” Suggs said. “I just give it my all at practice so when you are put in a situation when you have to do it, it comes naturally.”
Lindsey, a freshman, feels the same way. In her first season in the program, the former cheerleader said she was “amazed” she received the award. She said teammate and friend Zoe Hansen “wore her down” and convinced her to play volleyball this season. Lindsey said she has practiced volleyball with Hansen, who she has known since the fifth grade when she moved from Tupelo, and has been “inspired” by Hansen to keep working hard and getting better. Both players will compete for playing time for the junior varsity team at the beginning of the season.
Lindsey, who also plays libero, said her team spirit and competitiveness caught the eyes of the coaches.
“I was always encouraging others and everything else,” said Lindsey, who admitted she likes to talk. “I am really loud on the court.”
Brooks said Lindsey’s hustle, athleticism, and her drive helped her get recognized. She recalls Lindsey taking her volleyball class at the YMCA, so she knew she had skills when she tried out for the squad.
“Just watching her at the camp was really exciting because in addition to her being athletic, her voice on the court showed she is a natural leader coming through,” said Brooks, who played volleyball at Mississippi University for Women. “She was talking, she was aggressive, and she was moving. It was just really exciting to see because she definitely has the potential to be a leader on JV this year.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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