Ruby Anniversary — Jemison volleyball team remembers state playoff run 40 years later

Published 10:03 am Friday, October 25, 2024

By Carey Reeder

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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Forty years after the 1984 Jemison High School volleyball team made school history with a runner-up finish in the Class 4A Volleyball State Playoffs, the group was recognized by the community for their accomplishments on Oct. 3. Seven of the eight members of the team were in attendance for Jemison’s volleyball game that evening, and in between the junior varsity and varsity games, they were introduced to the crowd and their stellar years from 1982-1984 were recapped.

“This team was amazing, and I get choked up thinking about it,” Leighsa Robinson, a senior on the 1984 team, said. “We were not big, we just worked hard, played a lot of defense and we were not scared. We went out and worked.”

In 1983, the Jemison team led by head coach Debbie Spann landed in the Elite Eight at Bell Gym on the campus of The University of Alabama at Birmingham for the first time in program history. The Panthers at the state tournament in 1983 left with a fifth-place finish and finished the season with a 26-5 overall record, but they were hungry for more.

The squad returned for the 1984 season with one goal in mind — a state championship. Led by four seniors — Jada Ellison, Beth Richardson, Robinson and Susan Smith, they finished the regular season 18-3, captured their third straight area championship and defeated Fairfield High School in the regionals to advance to the state tournament for the second straight season. Back in the Elite Eight again, the Panthers defeated Clayton, East Lawrence, Elba, and Tallassee High Schools to advance to the state championship game to face perennial powerhouse Hazel Green High School on Nov. 3, 1984. Jemison lost in the state final, but the fact they were there, was the true highlight.

“We did not set the bar too high to where if we fail, it is going to destroy us,” Stephanie Bolling, a junior on the 1984 team, said. “We took it one game at a time, and we had fun doing it.”

Seniors Ellison and Susan Smith received All-State honors following the state tournament. Susan Smith recalled the state final against Hazel Green and blocking their best player a few times in the game, something that helped her earn that honor. When the Panthers arrived back in town, there was a huge welcome party by the community to celebrate their run to the final.

“My teammates were just amazing people, and we were so close,” Robinson said. “We loved each other, we hung out with each other and the whole team (enjoyed each other’s company). There were not a lot of us, but we were a mighty eight.”

Before 1982, the JHS team paid their dues coming up through high school and were beaten handily by teams. However, they grew from that and progressed from there, and pulled motivation from those years before during their stellar three-year run.

Over those three years (1982-1984), the team compiled a 63-21 overall record, won three-straight area championships, two sub regional championships, two regional championships and fifth- and second-place finishes in the state tournament.

What the Panthers lacked in height on the volleyball court was made up for with athleticism, defensive awareness and a strong team bond between one another. Spann believed in the team and instilled a determination in them to never give up and appreciate the sacrifices that each player made to be great.

“We were never not a team, and we were together from seventh grade till graduation, and we were all team focused,” Bolling said. “We were always about what we can do together to help each other out, and the biggest thing for us was having fun. We did not think of how great we were, it was just we went in knowing we were good and we just worked together.”

During the celebration on Oct. 3, the teammates shared stories and good times together while looking back at some photos from their playing days. Laughs, special moments and some tears were all shared amongst the friends. Stories like the teammates learning how to drive the team van to and from games, or the time when the team got together the weekend before the state tournament in 1984 and played football in the yard that resulted in Robinson’s torn up shoulder that required nonstop ice leading into the state tournament the next weekend. Countless stories were shared, and all were dear to the hearts of the teammates.

“Us hanging out together (were the best memories),” Robinson said. “That is all we did, and we do not have what kids have now, so we stayed together all the time.”

 

1984 Jemison High School Volleyball Roster

12 — Denise Glasscock Scott

20 — Teresa Smith

24 — Beth Richardson Hawkins

30 — Leighsa Robinson

34 — Stephanie Bolling

40 — Susan Smith

42 — Jada Ellison

44 — Melisa Smith

Managers: Angie Bice Lawley, Johnny Cantrell

Head Coach: Debbie Spann

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