Edgewood Academy head volleyball coach David DeLozier faced a multitude of challenges in his second year leading the Wildcats in 2021.
Edgewood Academy lost five seniors, including three All-County players, from its team last season. DeLozier’s roster was filled with freshmen and sophomores, which presented a tough challenge.
The Wildcats were also coming off back-to-back state championships, so DeLozier not only had to defend the state championship, but had to do that with almost all underclassmen on the roster.
His young Edgewood team rose to the occasion, however, and won the AISA-AA state championship on Oct. 28. The Lady Wildcats beat Chambers Academy 3-2 to claim their third straight state championship and second straight under the leadership of DeLozier.
Edgewood Academy celebrates winning the championship game of the AISA Class AA State Championship Tournament between the Edgewood Academy Wildcats and the Chambers Academy Rebels at the Multiplex at Crampton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Edgewood Academy won the game 3-2 and therefor the state title. [Alex City Outlook/ Jake Arthur]
Edgewood finished the season with a 25-2 overall record and went a perfect 25-0 in full match play. For that reason, DeLozier is the 2021 Elmore County Coach of the Year.
“This year was different,” DeLozier said. “My team was completed different. I had five seniors graduate from last year, so the makeup of my team was a lot younger. It was probably harder because we were so young. The girls who were new to the experience, because of how young they were, had nerves play a part in trying to defend that. Overall, it got harder as it went but I think we were overjoyed and relieved when it was over.”
Edgewood’s team this year only had two seniors on it, and the majority of DeLozier’s roster were underclassmen. To him, that served as both a blessing and a curse, and he saw both sides of the spectrum as he coached his team this year.
One of the positives of having a team so young is that they’re more coachable than some older kids can be since they haven’t been molded into the players they are yet. There aren’t expectations placed on them yet, so it’s easier to work with them.
One of the negatives that he has faced with young players is the feeling that they need to replace the seniors that preceded them the year prior. He saw that after losing five seniors, but he tried his best to express to them that their role isn’t to replace someone from last season’s team.
Their job is to play to the best of their ability and do their best in their role. He was able to communicate that message to his young team, and they showed it throughout the year as they continued to win.
“We already have pressure here at Edgewood because we are trying to accomplish something special,” DeLozier said. “So we really focused on trying to get them to play the role they specifically have so they don’t give themselves unnecessary pressure to live up to the seniors who preceded them last year. I think that was a big help for them to ease that pressure.”
Another thing that DeLozier had to focus on with this team this year was the carefreeness that they presented throughout the season. At any given time, but especially before each game, the Edgewood players were on the court dancing and jumping around while boasting huge smiles.
They knew how to have fun, and they always let that shine through their playing.
David Delozier celebrates during the Championship Game of the AISA Class AA State Championship Tournament between the Edgewood Academy Wildcats and the Chambers Academy Rebels at the Multiplex at Crampton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Edgewood Academy won the game 3-2 and therefor the state title. [Alex City Outlook/ Jake Arthur]
DeLozier said he also likes to have fun, but he also had to make his players understand that there is a time to play and there’s a time to go about their jobs, so to speak.
It was a learning process, but as the year went on he understood that he had to let his team and his players be themselves if he wanted to get the best out of them.
“That give and take between having fun and beings serious was a big learning process for me this year,” DeLozier said. “I’m not all serious all the time, but I really had to step back with some of the carefreeness. But every time it mattered this season, they showed up and did their jobs the best to their ability.”
