Caleb Suggs

Hartselle Enquirer

The Danville Lady Hawks have experienced some very successful seasons in the past few years. The Hawks won the state championship in 2014 and advanced to the semi-finals of the state tournament in both 2015 and 2016. Senior Libero Alexis Snow has been around for it all, and she is looking to lead the Hawks right back this season.

Snow wasted no time making an impact for the Hawks once she got to the High School. “I moved to Danville in the 8th grade. I was really nervous about trying out for the high school team but I ended up making Varsity,”  Snow said. “It was scary at first because I thought JV was a faster speed and Varsity was a lot faster. But we did a lot of good camps in the summer and I caught on pretty quick.” Danville fans have grown accustomed to seeing Snow in the different colored jersey of the libero, but she didn’t start out in that position. “My freshman year I wasn’t the libero until the Morgan County tournament,” Snow said. “They decided to make the change that night and I’ve been the libero ever since.” The change was made as a way to get Snow on the court. “He (head coach Spencer Cole) noticed that the defense worked better when I was on the court. I started out playing middle back and then right back before they moved me to left back when I became libero,” Snow said. “It really helped me out because now I’m more versatile and can play all of them.” Playing alongside the talent that was on the 2014 team, such as Sydni Shelton who is now at Kennesaw State, also helped Snow become the player she is today. “It really helped me, especially here recently because I’ve been going to a lot of college camps and those girls are hitting at me as hard as she was when I was a freshman,” Snow said. “She was a really great leader.” Snow went on to earn a state ring in her freshman year, something that many players strive to earn over their whole high school career. “It was crazy. Most of the time, you think your senior year is going to be the best. But freshman year was just a perfect year,” Snow said. “But I feel like we have a chance to top it this year.”

Things got tougher in Snow’s sophomore and junior years as she had to get used to a brand new coach. “It was really hard with a new coach because she didn’t know any of us,” Snow said. “We were all intimidated a little bit.” Danville still went on to experience success by making it to the state semis both years. However, the Hawks came up short each time. “Losing in the semis is hard because you know what that winning feeling is like,” Snow said. “To come so close and not win and to know what it does feel like to win. It’s heartbreaking.”

Snow and the Hawks are set to make another run at state this year. “I’ve felt like we’ve had the skill to win each year,” Snow said. “But I don’t think our chemistry was as good as in 2014.” The Hawks will have to adjust to yet another new coach as Lindsey Crumpton takes over this year. However, Snow sees the Hawks making a push this year. “We’ve always had good coaches and we’ve always had good help,” Snow said. “But most importantly we all love the game. If you don’t have the love for the game, you’re not going to win. I have many good teammates and that’s really what helps us. We’re like a family.”

Before Snow suits up in the purple for her Senior year, she got to experience another lifelong dream this summer when she was selected to participate in the North/South All Star game. “It was a dream come true. I was really close to Sydni Shelton and she had told me about it when I was a freshman,” Snow said. “To be able to compete with the best of the best was awesome. Getting nominated for that game was perfect because there was a lot of college coaches there and my dream is to play in college.” As of right now Snow plans to take a visit to the University of Montevallo, but she’s striving to obtain an offer from UNA. “UNA is where I really have my heart set right now,” Snow said. “Unfortunately the position I play doesn’t get a lot of scholarship offers because most colleges save the scholarships for big hitters and setters,” Snow continued, “I’m going to see what offers I get before I make my decision,” Snow said. “I’m nervous about being a Senior. It flew by too fast! and it’s sad but I am excited about finally getting to be the leader.”