Despite roster turnover, expectations high for Belgreen volleyball this fall

Of all the varsity volleyball teams in Franklin County, Belgreen High School enters the 2026 season with perhaps the biggest challenge of replacing lost experience.

The Lady Bulldogs, who in 2025 won 22 matches and finished as area runner-up, graduated six seniors, including their starting setter and libero.

Replacing that offensive and defensive production will be key for Belgreen if the Lady Bulldogs hope to have a successful campaign this fall.

As far as the libero position goes, Belgreen head coach Alison Terry, now entering her third season in charge of the program, said a decision on that is still up in the air.

“We’ve definitely got to work on our serve receive and defense this year because we lost a great libero, Bryn Scott, last year,” she said, “and I just don’t know if we’re even going to run a libero position this year. 

“I have a few (players) in mind, and as the season goes along if they can prove to me they deserve that spot then I’ll happily give them a shot at it, but right now we’re not going to run a libero. We’re just going to have a few go in as defensive specialists on the back row and a few that will be playing all the way around,” she added.

At the setter position, Terry believes that seniors Leah Blackburn and Madalyn LeMay will come in and do a good job filling the void left by the graduation of Alayna Tate, who recorded over 1,000 assists in her final two seasons at BHS.

“Last year, Leah Blackburn and Madalyn LeMay were very patient as far as waiting to come in and set, and this year they’ve got big roles to fill as far as replacing our setter from last year,” Terry said. “They’ve both improved this summer, and Leah’s even told me she has gone to lessons to work on her speed and agility, so I really appreciate the work they’ve put in.”

While Terry and the Lady Bulldogs work to sort out the setter and defensive positions, Belgreen does return a few experienced players who will be counted on to provide stability and offensive production.

One of them is senior Lilliana Willingham, a middle hitter who earned a spot on the Franklin Free Press All-Franklin County Second Team last season. Willingham recorded 199 kills and 44 aces as a junior while adding 281 digs and 33 total blocks on the defensive side of the net. Terry anticipates even more from Willingham in her final season.

“She’s been on varsity for quite a while as our middle hitter, and I expect her to come back strong,” Terry said of Willingham. “We’ve been lifting this summer and got our designated three weeks in and she’s gotten some great reps.”

Randi Terry is another that brings two years of varsity experience back for her junior season. An FFP All-County Honorable Mention in 2025, the outside hitter had 229 kills as a sophomore.

And then there’s Madison McKee, another of Belgreen’s eight seniors, returning to the varsity squad who was described by Terry as a “good all-around player.”

“She can do pretty much anything you ask her to do,” Terry said.

Several players are also moving into larger varsity roles this season. 

Terry said she’s excited to see what Lily Green, who spent time on both junior varsity and varsity last season, can do in her junior season. Seniors Kirby Schucker and Caleigh Lawson are moving up from primarily JV roles, with seniors Jemma Moore and Chloe Blanton joining the varsity squad, as well.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what all these girls can do,” Terry said.

At the time of writing, Belgreen’s varsity roster consisted of 10 players, but Terry was adamant that nothing is set in stone—personnel decisions could and will be made at any time, depending on the needs of the team.

“I’ve got a certain rotation in mind, but you know at the beginning of last year I had a certain rotation and by the end it had completely changed,” she said. “We’re going to take it one day at a time, and the girls are going to have to show me what they can do. If we start off with this certain rotation and it’s not working out, I have no issue with changing it.

“If we have JV players that step up and are doing well in practice and in games then I don’t have any problem bringing them up to fill roles if I feel like they can help the team,” she added. “I want to do what’s best for the team with the goal being to find that magic rotation that we can win with.”

Like a lot of schools this fall, following AHSAA reclassification and realignment, the Lady Bulldogs enter a new classification and area, dropping from Class 2A Area 14—where they faced off against the likes of Mars Hill, Tharptown and Covenant Christian—to 1A Area 14, which includes Cherokee, Red Bay and Waterloo.

In this new competitive environment, Terry is confident her team can contend for the program’s first area title since 2023 and, from there, a deeper postseason run.

“I hope to come out on top (in the area), and I don’t see any reason why my girls would be held back from dominating,” she said. “Of course, we’ve got to keep our heads on straight and do the little things right to make these things happen.

“Every year we have goals. Every year our first goal is of course to win the county (tournament) and then the area and then this year our subregion game and then we have the super regionals,” she added. “Every year our goals are going to stay those goals until we reach them, but it starts with game number one, and we take it one game at a time.”

Belgreen opens the 2026 campaign on Thursday, August 20 with road matches against Hatton and defending Class 1A champion Addison.