Savannah Thomas knew her sneakers were “ratty.”
But Thomas didn’t have an alternative after donating the sneakers she used to play volleyball at Caledonia High School. After two years away from the sport, Thomas was forced to use her size eight, gray Nikes with “soles that were coming off.”
Needless to say, Thomas didn’t feel too confident about her chances of impressing Mississippi University for Women volleyball coach Roxanne Hernandez.
After a week or two and not receiving a phone call from Hernandez, Thomas thought her volleyball career officially was over. That changed one night when she saw an email with Hernandez’s name.
“I was home alone and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ ” said Thomas, who graduated from Caledonia High in 2015. “I read it like 10 times. … It was exciting.”
Thomas never thought she was good enough to play volleyball in college, so she said she preferred to take the “safe route” and go to East Mississippi Community College in Mayhew, where she spent the last two years
earning an associate’s degree. Today, though, the goal Thomas didn’t believe she would attain will become a reality when she and former Caledonia High standouts Haley McMurphey and Cheyenne Ruth, former Columbus High standout Tori Weir, and the rest of The W’s volleyball team kick off their regular season at 3 p.m. against Millsaps at the Millsaps tournament in the Hangar Dome.
The W, which played exhibition matches last week at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Alabama, also will face Dillard University, Agnes Scott College, and Rhodes College this weekend in the two-day event.
Thomas had her kneepads and a few pair of spandex, so she was able to have some of the trademark accessories of a volleyball player for the camp/tryout she attended, even though she laughed and said her tennis shoes made her “look like she never played the sport in her life.”
The old pair of Nikes are gone. Thomas said she turned them in for a new pair instead of saving them as a keepsake of what she felt she wouldn’t be able to do. She credits her father, Bert; her mother, Jenny; and her boyfriend, Chandler Lester, who is a member of The W’s men’s soccer team, for encouraging her to play and boosting her confidence. In fact, she said Lester, who played soccer at Caledonia High and Northwest Mississippi C.C., told her it would be cool for him to be able to go to volleyball matches at The W to support her after she had attended so many of his sporting events.
“This opportunity came up and I was like, ‘What are the odds?'” Thomas said. “I was planning on coming to The W anyway. It just happened when I graduated from EMCC they started this. It was perfect timing, and Chandler was like, ‘Go for it.’
“I think we were all pretty surprised when coach Roxanne sent that email.”
Thomas left the camp/tryout thinking she had missed her chance. She admitted, though, she had pictured herself receiving all new gear and tried not to get too disappointed about thinking she didn’t have a chance to play volleyball again. The anxiety continued after the initial excitement wore off. Thomas said Hernandez’s email didn’t guarantee her a spot on the team, but it asked if she would be interested in on the team. She wasn’t sure what to make of the situation until she met with Hernandez.
Ruth, whose sister, Blair, also graduated from Caledonia High, played middle blocker for the Lady Confederates last season. She said she didn’t think about attending The W or playing volleyball at the school until she received a call from Hernandez. She said she had planned to go to EMCC for two years and then transfer to a four-year school. Ruth said the opportunity to play a sport for four years was more appealing to her, so she accepted the offer to play volleyball at The W later in her senior year at Caledonia High.
“It has been scary,” said Ruth, who is living on campus in Columbus to “get the full college experience.” “I am still trying to get my time management fixed and still settling in. It is hard, but I guess that is what comes with being a college athlete. You have a lot more on your plate.”
Ruth said she kind of “freaked out” when she checked the roster and saw Hernandez had her down as a outside hitter. She said now she likely will see a majority of her playing time in the middle, which means she is adjusting to a college game she said is “way more than she ever imagined.”
“Plays move a lot faster and I am expected to run a different play than I have ever done,” Ruth said. “It is overwhelming sometimes, and it is kind of big weight to carry to get up and get that kill, but it is something I am going to have to get used to. Hopefully, I will get used to it sooner rather than later.”
McMurphey, a 5-foot-7 outside hitter/opposite, is from Kansas. She graduated from Caledonia High in 2016. She played volleyball last season at Jefferson Davis C.C., which is now known as Coastal Alabama C.C. McMurphey said she heard about The W from Samantha Brooks, her volleyball coach at Caledonia High. She said the timing was right when The W announced the return of intercollegiate athletics to the school because she considers herself a “homebody” who is close to her family, so she liked the thought of returning to Mississippi. If not for The W’s decision to bring back athletics, McMurphey said she likely would have stayed at Coastal Alabama C.C. for her sophomore season.
McMurphey, who is studying to be an elementary school teacher, feels the experience of living in a dorm, going to classes, and playing volleyball helped her learn how to manage her time, so moving to a four-year school hasn’t been as big of an adjustment. On the court, though, she said playing against taller opponents has been an eye-opener. After playing middle blocker in high school, she said she enjoys playing on the outside.
“We definitely have some improving to do, but overall we communicate really well on the court and we get done what we need to have done,” McMurphey said. “It is going to be a matter of being scrappy because we’re kind of a smaller team and we’re going up against some bigger girls at these schools.”
The “scrappy” play fits the style Thomas, Ruth, and McMurphey played at Caledonia. They hope their experience will help the Owls have a successful season in its return to intercollegiate competition.
For Thomas, her new black and gray sneakers feel more comfortable each day. As someone who thought she was done playing, Thomas is prepared to make the most of a second chance.
“I never thought being a college athlete would be in the cards for me,” said Thomas, who is 5-6, “but somehow it was.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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