The Loretto Volleyball team has made a habit of making it to the state tournament. The Lady Mustangs have made the trip to Murfreesboro in each of the last four seasons. In 2024, they’re hoping for more of the same.
“Pretty much since last year ended, we were already excited for this year,” head coach Nick Quillen said. “Scheduling starts in November and December so we’ve been really ready to get going.”
The last two seasons for Loretto has ended with a loss in the Class A State title game, a feeling the 2024 squad doesn’t want to feel again.
“Obviously we would’ve liked a state championship as the outcome, but it just motivates us more to get the job done this year and I think it will do nothing but push us harder,” senior Jacy Franklin said.
“We lost the basketball one too,” senior Ally Weathers said of the state title game. “Some of us play both. Losing is not a good feeling. We’re really excited to get there and finish it.”
In both of those losses to Summertown and Sale Creek, the Lady Mustangs were competitive from start to finish, helping this group realize that they are not far away from bringing home the hardware.
“The fact that we were right there is a lot to look forward to this year,” Quillen said. “Set that goal and set that standard that we want to get to.”.
The Lady Mustangs will return all but one starter and the bulk of their production from 2023. Giving them a big advantage over the majority of their competition. “”We’re very excited about that. We have a lot of leaders on the court and that will definitely help out any new people that get on the court this year. Really excited about having a lot of returners this year,” said Franklin.
The Volleyball team will also make its debut in the school’s new gym. Moving from the tight quarters of the “The Barn”, to their spacious new facility. “We’re excited about this because we have two courts to do different types of training. It is a bigger gym and more opportunity to fill it,” said Quillen.
As the start of the regular season is fast approaching, the Lady Mustangs know their time is now, and they have some unfinished business to take care of.
“I feel just keeping our focus and making sure we play well together as a team and holding everyone accountable will get us back there this year,” said Franklin.
Last week the Lady Mustangs went 8-1 on their way to winning the Gold Bracket of the MTSU Camp Tournament and finishing as tournament champions. The Gold Bracket was made up of multiple Class 3A and Division II teams with just one 1A and one 2A teams competing.
“We were very thankful for have (MTSU Volleyball player) Laure Jansen as our court coach for the second year in a row, and her last year at MTSU,” Quillen said. “I am super proud of our progress.”
