There will be a new leader of the Tharptown High School varsity volleyball team when the Lady Wildcats hit the court next season.
Lori Huffaker, an English teacher at THS, was announced as the new head coach of the school’s volleyball program at the Franklin County Schools Board of Education meeting on March 18.
“She brings a lot of coaching experience and a lot of successful coaching experience from her past positions,” Tharptown High School principal Tyler Berryman said of Huffaker. “She’s been a head volleyball coach and she’s got experience in region play and state tournament play, and that’s something we’d like to see happen at Tharptown High School.”
Huffaker, a Speake High School graduate, played college volleyball and softball at Northwest Shoals Community College and softball at Athens State.
Prior to coming to Tharptown as a teacher, Huffaker worked with the Talent Search Program at NWSCC. Before that, she taught at Hatton High School where she served as the head volleyball coach for the Lady Hornets, head coach of the softball program and as an assistant coach on the girls’ basketball team.
Huffaker, whose coaching experience dates back to 2006, led the Hatton volleyball program to multiple area championships and berths in the AHSAA state tournament in her time there.
The new head coach said she’s ready to take the reins of the program and looking forward to giving back to her student-athletes and the student body.
“I’m really excited about it because I love the game,” Huffaker said. “Over the course of the year I’ve been at Tharptown, I’ve come to love the students there. I love the small school atmosphere and the close-knit community. I love school spirit.
“I’m hoping to give these girls (on the team) something to get excited about and instill in them values like hard work and commitment and teamwork—things they can carry over into their lives after high school and help them face adversity in their life,” she added. “I want them to look back on this time in their lives with some fond memories and just bring some excitement to this program.”
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