A new face is getting ready to lead the Eupora Lady Eagles on the volleyball court this season as the program hits year two of its existence.
Meredith Woolbright is a representative of how the state has transitioned from slow pitch softball to volleyball and she understands how the culture has had to shift like it has at Eupora. The Lady Eagles were routinely contenders for state championships in slow pitch before the sport was cancelled to make a push for volleyball in Mississippi.
Like the Lady Eagles, Woolbright played her career out at New Hope just a few years ago as a slow pitch and fast pitch softball player. While volleyball was being played by the Lady Trojans, she was swinging a big bat and it led to a career at Mississippi University for Women. She’s recently graduated and now transitioning to the court in a sport that she knows plenty about, even if she didn’t play it.
“My grandmother was a volleyball coach at South Lamar and my mother is the head coach at New Hope with both of my younger sisters playing there currently. I know all about the game,” Woolbright said. “I hated to see slow pitch softball go, but I think it’s great for the players to be able to learn and allow for more versatility in sports. I’m excited to bring my knowledge to Eupora. It’s a learning experience not only for the players but for me.”
In the inaugural season last year, the Lady Eagles made strides in a 4-7 showing. They won the district championship in made it to the playoffs before falling to Mantachie and the team is trying to build on that.
Woolbright has already seen them make moves in the short time that she’s been able to teach them more about the game.
“The players I have are very athletic, and within the first week of practice they caught on quicker than I’ve seen any players grasp things,” Woolbright said. “It helps as a coach to come in and explain the game and players be able to grasp it. I was teaching them about rotations recently and that was something that they haven’t learned before but they were really excited to start getting into that.”
The Columbus native is coming into her first job out of college with enthusiasm and a will to make the lives of her players and students better. It’s made for some frustrations since the first two games on the schedule this week were cancelled by Kosciusko, but the team is staying on its toes.
Either way, Woolbright has been waiting for the chance to mold young students most of her life and she’s on her way.
“I always knew that I wanted to help kids and be a positive influence,” Woolbright said. “I had some very good coaches in my playing career, so I knew I wanted to be that for my students.”
