Another ring
- Updated: October 30, 2024
Pleasant Valley bags second consecutive state title, gives first-year coach a ring to add to her collection as a player, coach.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
BIRMINGHAM — Jennifer Mann wore a necklace Wednesday holding the three state-title rings she won as a player at Pleasant Valley. She wore the ring she won as an assistant coach in 2023 on her left hand.
The first-year head coach will get one for the other hand, thanks to the latest Pleasant Valley team and the one she can most call her own.
The Raiders scored 13 of the last 17 points to wrap up their Class 2A final match against Linsday Lane in Bill Harris Arena, winning 25-18, 19-25, 25-16 and 25-23.
Pleasant Valley clinched its second consecutive state title and seventh overall … five coming under Sandy Hunter, Mann’s high school coach, and one under Dana Bryant, Mann’s now retired former boss.
For Mann, the latest state title enhances her already deep place in the lore of an historically successful program.
“One reflection that I made yesterday, and I was talking to my assistant coaches, it’s the culture that we have,” Mann said. “Some of the teams never make it here, and the culture never develops.
“Because I’m so embedded at Pleasant Valley and I’ve been there since kindergarten, and graduated from there and coached there, it’s just ingrained in me. That’s who we are. We’re winners, and we’re competitors, and we don’t give up.”
All of that helped Mann and the players adapt to changes this season, including having to replace key graduated seniors Maddie Schwabe, Allie Bryant and Madi Hay.
Mann has worked with Pleasant Valley’s seniors since seventh grade, but she and her players had to adapt to her ascension to head varsity coach.
They also fought through injuries, including a back injury that sidelined Ella Parris for a midseason stretch.
Pleasant Valley’s final record (25-18) reflects the Raiders’ working through new rotations while testing themselves against a traditional Pleasant Valley schedule, with the usual number of higher classified opponents.
It paid off as the Raiders won all eight postseason matches, including three in the state tournament.
“It wasn’t just her,” senior hitter Lily Henry said of Mann. “We had to take responsibility to do that. We had to want it, too.”
Mann had lots of help on the floor Wednesday, with most valuable player Lily Henry dealing 22 kills. Ellie Patterson added 10 kills, and setter Elise Wheeler dished out 36 assists.
Patterson and Wheeler joined Henry plus Lindsay Lane’s Riley Green, Lydia Carter and Kaylin Jones on the all–tournament team.
Pleasant Valley won its second consecutive state title while making its third consecutive appearance in the final. The Raiders lost to Donoho in 2022 and beat Sand Rock in 2023.
Mann had a hand in getting the Raiders over their last rough patch in Wednesday’s final. Trailing 12-19 in the final set, did what any good coach would do … listen to her players.
“We asked her to yell at us,” Henry said. “We asked her to get us fired up.”
Whatever Mann said worked. The Raiders scored the next nine points in a row to take a 21-19 lead and 13 of the match’s final 17 points to clinch the victory.
Mann soaked in all of the ceremonial duties that come for a coach after her team won the state title, including collecting the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s “blue map” state-title trophy and walking it to a bench full of players waiting to take it from her.
She and the Raiders kept a good thing going, and she added to her collection. Every state title means something, she said as she answered a question about whether one ring might be most special.
“Every year that we come here, I always wear my rings,” Mann said, tugging at her necklace then pointing to her left-middle finger. “And I wore ours from last year. I actually bruised my hand yesterday, so I had to switch hands, from clapping so much.
“As far as significance, every one of them holds so many memories. This one, leading them to the state championship is significant.”
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