Hired to take over the Lady Warrior volleyball team on July 30, Goss has had less than a month to work with her new team, but in that time she’s discovered she has some all-around talented players.
“(Former) Coach (Amy) Barnes has done a great job with them,” Monteith Goss said. “Talent-wise, they’re ready. They’re hungry. They’re aggressive. They’re ready to win some games. That’s been fun to come into that excitement. We’re still trying to work out some kinks, but in time I think it’s going to be a good mix.”
While the Lady Warriors lost six seniors from last year’s squad, the cupboard isn’t bare by any stretch of the imagination. They return several players who contributed on varsity last season, including juniors Madison Millsaps, Allison Horne and Kayle Moon, as well as sophomore Magen Dupree.
Millsaps and Dupree played middle for the Lady Warriors last season. Horne and Moon were outside hitters.
Moving up to varsity this season is juniors Haley Welsh, Jessen Burk and Heather Hubbard, sophomores Kate Carter and Claire Chesnut and freshman Sierra Downey.
“This team has got some good fundamental passers,” said Monteith Goss, who first got to see her players in action at home during a camp conducted by Dusty Cothran in early August. “The teams I’ve coached in the past, and from what I’ve experienced is you have a few who are really good passers and a few who are really good hitters. To me, this team is well balanced with hitting, passing, even setting. I’m excited about not have to count on one person to carry the team. I think each one of them have characteristics that will help this team win a lot of games.”
Speaking of winning, Monteith Goss certainly knows how to do that. She’s been around winning teams almost her entire life. Monteith Goss helped guide the Lady Warrior basketball teams to the 1991-92 and 1992-93 state championships as a player. She went on to the University of Alabama, where she was a member of the Crimson Tide’s 1994 Final Four team.
Following her playing days at Alabama, Monteith Goss guided Saks High School to the Class 4A state championship in 2006 with a win over Jacksonville in the title match.
After coaching at Saks, Monteith Goss took a few years off coaching. She coached an AAU basketball team last year as well as coached volleyball at Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa.
She said she’s excited to be back home coaching the Lady Warriors.
“I feel like I’m the one playing,” she said. “I know the girls are excited too. I love volleyball, and I’m excited to see where this team is going to go. I think they have the potential to go far.”
A challenging schedule awaits Monteith Goss and the Lady Warriors. They get started at home on Thursday against Class 4A, Area 11 rival Hokes Bluff, then take part in the Albertville tournament on Saturday.
“I’m at a disadvantage that I have not coached in this area in several years,” Monteith Goss said. “We’re just going to do whatever we can to prepare ourselves to put us in a situation where we can win some games. I’ve been surprised how quickly I’ve been able to get to know the girls and their tendencies. The fact that I just started with them doesn’t bother me because I know it will come. The more games we play and the more practices we have, it will come.”
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