Mitchell Preps Junior Lady Wolves

LINCOLN —A host of question marks surrounded the Lincoln junior high program coming into the 2013 fall volleyball season beginning with the departure of coach Cindy Boehm in late summer.

Adrian Risley, Lincoln’s second year varsity volleyball coach, is also the district’s Information Technology director, and he simply did not have enough hours in the day to devote to coaching the junior high team. Plus, the bulk of the 2012 squad were now sophomores and had moved up to high school competition so just filling out the roster was an issue.

Pieces to the puzzle were already in place, just nobody knew how they would all fit.

In May of 2012, Stephanie Mitchell, who went to grade school and high school at Ashland City, Tenn., near Nashville, graduated from college and moved 532 miles west to Lincoln. Mitchell, who had never coached volleyball previously, was hired as Lincoln Middle School’s fourth and fifth grade Resource teacher and took over the junior high volleyball program.

Athletes came out and when Risley and Mitchell took inventory there were no freshmen and only two eighth graders, Brenna Hutchens, 5- foot- 1, and Dominque Pickens, 5-foot-4, so they filled out the roster with 10 seventh graders ranging in height from 5-foot-7 to 4-foot-5. None of these girls had ever played volleyball before, yet, not sure where the ride would take them they climbed aboard along with their new coach and Lincoln f ie lded a team. Risley k n ew t he young squad would take their lumps but t h e re would be no forfeits.

Some girls like Libby Calico and Jessica Goldman have older sisters, who led by example and participated extensively in Lincoln athletics and influenced their younger siblings to launch their careers as Lady Wolves as seventh graders but those who don’t have that legacy to continue were needed to fill out the team. Other seventh grade members of the team include: Alexandria Beach, Brittney Blevins, Maddie Brock, Tori Hammons, Gao Lee, Gabriela Melton, Samantha Taylor and Ashlyn White.

Looking back on their season, nobody has expressed regrets and Mitchell is bubbling over with enthusiasm.

“This is the first time I’ve ever done anything with volleyball. I am so in love with the sport and excited about growing the program. How much we’ve improved over the season is incredible,” Mitchell said.

“This is my first year of teaching and coaching. It’s a year of firsts for everything. As far as it’s with seventh graders, we’re working on the fundamentals. Next year we’ll work on strategy.”

“You couldn’t ask for a better person,” Risley said, explaining the joy of the squad sweeping what he called a well-coached Lavaca seventh grade team in two sets. “They’ve improved a lot. Being tech director I couldn’t do any of that without Mitchell.”

Mitchell notes the team has won all three sets when they actually played against other seventh grade opponents and thinks the program has a bright future.

“A lot of my girls I see growing a lot in the next few years. I think next year we’re going to have a big turnout,” Mitchell said. “It’s more than just coaching them in sports, it’s about coaching them in life, too. I want to be a positive role model. There is a real ministry in that.”

Lincoln athletic director Deon Birkes is thankful to have the junior high team competing and describes Mitchell as an asset to the program and school.

“She’s been kind of a blessing. You hire good people, the wins and losses will take care of themselves. She’s teaching kids good character. I’m excited to have her on board.”

Mitchell