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The LaGrange volleyball team is Sweet 16 bound for the first time since 2021. It has been a tumultuous week for the Grangers, who walked off the court last Thursday against Sandy Creek thinking the season was a wrap. It was far from it as the Grangers got an at-large bid to the 2024 3A state playoffs and more than lived up to the billing as they dominated the no. 10 overall seed Baldwin High in straight sets.

“We went into the game feeling confident and we felt like we could win,” junior Anna Poe said. 

To go from the heartbreak of the season ending in the region tournament to the realization that they snuck into the playoffs on Monday was a wild few days for the coaches and players.

“It was crazy,” coach Mehgan Smith said. “I said my end of the season speech and before I knew it everybody in the circle was crying and then the next day I’m gearing up for the banquet and writing my speeches for that when (athletic director Mike) Pauley calls and says ‘what if I told you that you are going to the playoffs?’ And my mouth fell open in disbelief for five minutes.”

Smith was not the only one that was shocked by the revelation that the team got an at-large bid to the playoffs. 

“Well, I threw away my shoes because I thought it was all over, and then we got a call that we were in the playoffs and it was just very exciting, and now I’m wearing Sophie (Clough)’s shoes,” senior Abbie Lundy said, showing off her not-so-new kicks.

The team heard they would likely be in the playoffs but waited on pins and needles over the weekend for the official announcement on Monday. 

“We heard that we might be in on Friday, so all weekend I was super anxious,” said Clough, a senior on the team. “I literally had to go shopping at T.J. Maxx and splurge because I was so anxious.”

The Grangers locked in immediately on finding out that they were in the playoffs, not wanting this chance to go to waste.

“It really felt like we were given this chance for a reason,” junior Kelsey Burks said.  “When we got the chance we knew we had to refocus because we did not want to give up this chance now that we got it.”

The Grangers had anything, but a stellar end to the regular season. The team lost the final 10 games of the season as the players got complacent.

“We had to realize that, with us winning so much in a regular season, that wins are not going to come to us against good teams. We had to earn them and we had to learn how to work together better, and to pick each other up,” senior Aniyah Payne said.

What a week it has also been for first-year head coach Mehgan Smith. After a couple of poor seasons in a row in which the team missed the playoffs entirely, Smith has guided the team to its first playoff win in three years. 

“There were a lot of firsts this season,” Smith said, flashing a big smile. “I told the girls before the game that this is not a regular season game, this is not a region game, this is state, it’s going to require a different level.”

Smith has brought a new energy to the team and a sense of stability. Having previously served as an assistant coach on the team before this year, Smith knew that it would take a lot of hard work by the team and herself to get back to the standard that was previously set a few years ago.

It was a season of firsts for the players too. Not a single person on the varsity roster had ever played in a playoff game previously, much less won one.

“The energy was way higher and it really pushed us to come together as a team,” Lundy said. 

Lundy, Clough, Payne and fellow seniors T’Maya Davis, Georgia Jamison and Macy Mormon walked off the court last Thursday for what they thought was the final time. It was a strange feeling to have to say a permanent goodbye that turned out to not be so permanent. 

“We watched 10 seniors from the other team play in their final game yesterday and I know what that feels like and it did make me feel bad, but at the same time I’m so glad we have a chance to prove ourselves after how the last couple of years went,” Clough said. 

LaGrange will travel to take on one of the top teams in the state on Saturday when they hit the road to take on Jefferson. With the team already coming to terms with their season ending, although a bit prematurely, they can play free and relaxed heading into the Sweet 16.

“The competition will be steeper, but it will not be any different than some of the competition we played this season,” Smith said. “It is just this trim we have to rise to the occasion. I think we are ready, but we have to build on and elevate our performance from [Wednesday].”