928 wins and counting
HHS volleyball coach Tanya Lybarger is big-time winner in her sport
Story by Clif Knight
Photo by Sam Roberts
When Tanya Lybarger enrolled at Hartselle High School as a sophomore in 1983, little did she realize that her basketball team would win back-to-back state championships and catapult her into a dream-come-true coaching career at her high school alma mater.
“I attended Plainview High School at Rainsville through my freshman year, where I played basketball at a guard/forward position,” said Lybarger. “I was fortunate I was able to play for Hartselle as a sophomore and junior in 1983 and 1984 under head coach Jerry Reeves and in 1985 as a senior under head coach Johnny Cochran.”
Both ’83 and ’84 teams claimed state championships and had a positive influence on Lybarger, who went on to play basketball at the collegiate level at Austin Peay and Montevallo universities.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in education at Montevallo and joined the staff at Hartselle High School in 1988 as a math teacher and assistant basketball coach. She also served as head coach of tennis for one year and softball for two years.
“I always wanted to coach,” said Lybarger, “but volleyball was not on my wish list when I started coaching.”
She was named head volleyball coach in 1992 and has coached her teams to winning records in all but one year of her 22-year tenure. Her teams combined have won 928 matches while losing 408. Their accomplishments include four county championships, 14 consecutive area titles, four regional championships and two super regional titles. They have also competed in 11 consecutive Elite Eight tournaments and advanced to the Final Four seven times.
The pinnacle of their success was winning the Class 5A state championship trophy at the Crossplex in Birmingham in 2012.
The Lady Tigers accomplished their goal by defeating defending state champion St. Paul’s 25-21, 25-23 and 25-21.
Lybarger credited her team’s success to the energy and focus it demonstrated throughout the match.
“There wasn’t a girl on that team who cared who got the recognition,” Lybarger said. “They played so well together as a team.
“It wasn’t always that way during the regular season,” she added. “We had our ups and downs. We played in several tournaments but didn’t win even one. They peaked in the playoffs. They kept their focus and played their best when it counted the most.
“I don’t want to overlook the important role earlier teams played in helping us get to the top,” Lybarger ssontinued. “We had other great teams, some with better win-loss records, who didn’t make it all the way. It is to their credit that we were able to build a strong foundation for our program and stay in the hunt for a state championship.”
On the heels of her team’s state championship run, Lybarger was named Class 5A Coach of the Year in 2013. She was selected to coach the North Volleyball All-Star team in the 2013 AHSAA summer games in Montgomery.
Lybarger said her coaching style is old school, even though today’s high school girls have to deal with more distractions than ever before.
“I make them leave their cell phones in their lockers and clear their minds of everything but volleyball when they’re practicing,” she said. “We expect them to exercise self-discipline, stay focused and work long and hard.
“Some of my former players tell me I’ve softened up since they played,” she joked.
Lybarger’s players not only work hard and perform well on the court – they excel in the classroom. They were recognized as winners of the 2018 AVCA Academic Award with a 3.93 grade point average. The award is presented annually by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
“The best part of my job is seeing the team come together and planting seeds that will help my players become better people when they leave here,” Lybarger said. “I’m always happy to have them come back and express what their volleyball experience has meant to them.”
