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Callaway volleyball is experiencing its most stable and healthy period since its inception. Volleyball, once an afterthought in Troup County, has been rapidly growing in the area over the last several years and Callaway has been at the forefront of that.

The Cavaliers will be heading into their third year under Shelby Goins. Having made the first Elite Eight in program history during her first season and making the playoffs last year despite not playing a single home game due to gym renovations, confidence in the program is high even with some turnover from those teams.

“We are so excited about this year’s team,” Goins said. “The energy, the talent, the competitiveness is all there for this team.”

Callaway will field a different lineup to last season which is expected. The Cavaliers lost their two captains and leaders Blair Littlefield and Lacey Thomas and will have to rely on some new veterans to lead the group this year.

“We want to make the younger girls proud and help make them feel more confident,” senior Raniya Mahone said.

The Cavaliers will have three new leaders on the team. Mahone, Christiauna Toolsie and Ava Taylor, the only three seniors on the team, will all serve as captains this year.

“I’m still in shock because I can’t believe I’m a senior and this is my last year with this team,” Toolsie said. “At the same time, it’s exciting to show the younger girls how we do it at Callaway.”

“I’m feeling a lot of mixed emotions right now, it’s scary to think this will be my last year playing volleyball,” Taylor added.

Taylor and Mahone were instrumental in the team’s success last season. So was Toolsie, but she was one who had to really grind to earn a spot on the varsity team. Regularly the smallest person on the court, Toolsie worked her way up from JV to varsity during last season and comes into this year with the full confidence of her coach.

Aug. 6 will be the Cavaliers’ home opener and the first game at Callaway High in nearly two years after gym renovations went through the entire season.

“Last year was so difficult,” Goins said. “There was just a lot of things that we couldn’t control, but the energy coming into this year’s team feels good,” Goins said. “Getting to play in the new gym has the team feeling a different energy.”

The girls were left bewildered and frustrated at times last year as they spent much of the season traveling long distances for games. 

This frustration has only fueled the fire to come back even stronger this season.

“Our chemistry has improved a lot of the years and I feel like all those bus rides last year helped us bond,” Mahone said.  

The Cavaliers are coming off two straight seasons in which they finished third in the region behind Landmark Christian and Eagle’s Landing (two private schools). This year, Callaway will be in a new region with no private schools with the region feeling much more open and competitive than the one that they played in the last two seasons.

“Without those two private schools we would have won a region championship the last two seasons,” Goins said. “E

Two of the major reasons for the development of the Callaway volleyball program is the advancement in the middle school level as well as more players playing club volleyball.

“If I can keep this team together for a year or two it will be great,” Goins said. “Good things are happening at the middle school program and it is helping develop these girls before they get up here.”

Goins can also see a sharp difference in the development of the girls who decided to play club volleyball this offseason. 

“I can see a big difference with the girls that played with 85 South (Volleyball Club),” Goins said. “They are hitting and controlling the ball better and you can just tell they look more confident.”

The influx of young talent has been a huge blessing for Callaway High. The strength of the feeder program and the growing interest in volleyball in Troup County has Goins plotting out a big future for the Cavaliers.

“I would love to have a freshman team this year, but we are aiming for next year because I was we need the freshman on day one this year,” Going said. “I could easily see myself bumping up some of the girls from JV to varsity because they have a lot of talent.

The current varsity roster consists of Natalie Ball, K’mya Carter, Ale’yah Dunn, Kaleigh Harris, Baylor Keith, Alayna Leithleiter, Sammy Leithleiter, Raniya Mahone, Jaylynn Helms, Kailtyn Pennington, Ava Taylor and Christiauna Toolsie.