Fairview volleyball celebrates history-making season

The Fairview High School Volleyball Team’s season has come to end, but their teamwork and determination advanced them to the Regional Tournament for the first time in school history.

In the last few years, the team has seen much adversity, but Head Coach Amanda Franson said, “Every single time, the girls met that adversity and trusted me with the changes we needed to make. The girls were relentless and kept pushing forward, especially this season when we had two key players with injuries. They knew they had to embrace a new line-up to push forward, and they did just that.”

The team completed regular season action with a record of 11-4 overall and 8-3 in district play.  That gave them a number two seed in the district tournament which is the highest finish in school history.

The varsity rotation had some changes during the season, losing their libero sophomore Apryl Johnson to an injury.  As a result, they added foreign exchange student Laura Valim from Brazil to the mix to help at the net.  Overcoming some language barriers, Valim’s athleticism and size proved helpful late in the season.

Coach Amanda Franson, in her third year as head coach and fourth year with the Lady Jackets, said, “I’ve been with these girls since they started high school and [has] been waiting for this year.  The girls have worked hard to be in the position [they] are in for playoffs.” Franson was excited to see them succeed in ways they haven’t before. 

In post season, the Lady Jackets faced off against Cheatham County in the district tournament. The Fairview Ladies took the first set, then Cheatham took the second and third set, followed by a solid hold on the fourth. However, FHS freshman Anastasia Bierly rallied the Lady Jackets back to win the fourth and the tie breaker match.

The win advanced Fairview into the district title match against Camden, who was heavily favored as the four-time district champs.  And Camden did not disappoint, but as runner up in the district, the young ladies of Fairview still reached a new plataeu.

The Lady Jackets were runner-up in the District Division I Class AA Tournament.

For the first time in school history, a Fairview High volleyball team advanced to the Regional Tournament. After some intense and tough battles on the court, they lost to Portland, who went on to win the Region Championship.

“These young ladies have set the bar for the next teams going forward, and it is an exciting process to be a part of,” stated Coach Franson.

She continued, “The girls have worked so hard to put Fairview on the map in the volleyball world -- and they’ve done it! They know this is just the beginning, and we have the seniors, as well as other key leaders to thank. I’m truly proud of our ladies and our success this season. It is one I will never forget.”

Roster/Season Stats

Senior Dani Tidwell -MH, 227 Kills, 31 Blocks       

Senior Maddy Simmons -OH, 169 Kills, 92 Digs                 

Senior Cailie Viau -S, 496 Assists, 31 Aces

Junior Neyland Yeager -OH/DS, 71 Kills, 112 Digs

Freshman Anastasia Bierly- MB, 53 Kills, 50 Blocks

Freshman Ella Ryerson -OH/S, 23 Aces, 186 points on serve

Laura Valim –RS

Sophomore Apryl Johnson-DS

Sophomore Abby Banks- DS