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The LaGrange volleyball team has found new life. The Grangers won just four games compared to 23 losses last season. The team lost its last 10 games of the 2023 season and did not even win a single set in that span. 

Don’t tell this year’s team that because they are off to a blazing start under first-year head coach Mehgan Smith. The Grangers sit at 12-2 overall and 9-0 without tournament games included going into Tuesday’s matchup with rival Troup and feel more confident than they have in years.

“Last year felt like motivation for us to work harder this season. I just want to get back at the next game and play harder than we did when we were losing,” junior Rylan Burton said. 

“It’s a lot more serious this season because we see the potential that we have,” T’Maya Davis added. 

This is not just a big improvement on last season, this is the best start the Grangers have had since 2015. They have already eclipsed their win total in 2022 (1), 2021 (8), 2020 (7), 2019 (4), 2018 (1), 2017 (6) and 2016 (5).

LaGrange is not just beating up on inferior opponents. The Grangers are beating teams this season that they lost to a season ago. The Grangers were 1-1 against Callaway and 0-2 versus Heard County last season. This year, LaGrange is 3-0 against those same opponents and have dropped just one set.

“This is really great because it really goes to show that we are not the same team that we were last season,” senior Macy Mormon said. 

Most of the girls on the team did not know what it felt like to win regularly until this season. The losses piled up and so did the frustration. 

“I think everybody here thought about giving up volleyball unless there was a big change,” said senior Abbie Lundy, who her teammates say is the main motivator and source of inspiration on the team.

“Before we played our own games we would go to other team’s games and there was, like, this real feeling that we didn’t want to go to our own games. We were ready to just get it over and let’s hurry up and leave so we can go somewhere else,” senior captain Sophie Clough said.

The players dreaded coming to practice and would rather be anywhere other than on the bus traveling to an away game. The vibe has been much different since the spring. With a change of leadership, came a new energy. 

“The second coach Megan came in and said that she was going to be accountable for her own actions and we would be held accountable for ours, I kind of realized that that was like a drastic change in the whole program itself,” Mormon said. 

Even with the excitement building heading into the season, the team could never have imagined that they would be in the position that they are in now.

“I don’t think any of us thought this was possible,” Anna Poe said as the team shared a laugh remembering just a few short weeks ago when this kind of start felt like a dream.