ADDISON, Ala.- Head coach Sadie Hall took over for Addison Volleyball in 2025 with big shoes to fill. In the prior ten seasons, Kaydi Woodard had earned ten Area Championships and seven 1A State Championships, building on the dynasty Pam Wilkins had started before her.
June was tough, both Hall and her players said. As practices and training got underway, it took time for the team to mesh and for the intimidation of a new coach to subside. Despite that, Hall knew she had the raw talent on the team to have a special first season, which she saw come to fruition in their first regular season match against Meek. The Lady Bulldogs won two comeback sets, then ran away with the third for the win.
They’d face rival Meek in the final game of the season too, in a 3-0 win to take the 1A State Championship in October to finish off a 33-14 campaign. Last Thursday, the Lady Bulldogs got together again to receive their State Championship rings at a ceremony at First Bank in Addison.
“It honestly feels so unreal. I just feel like the last two teams that I’ve been on, all the people weren’t there to win. But this year, we gave it all we had and we were in love with the game, and there were times early where it was hard, I wanted it to be over because I was so stressed out. I really wouldn’t have it any other way, though. All the stress, all the anger, all the tears I’ve shed for this sport, I wouldn’t have it any other way,” sophomore Annabelle Powell said.
Hall, a former State Championship-winning player under Wilkins at Addison, said earning state titles as both a player and coach has been “phenomenal,” noting it was less stressful as a player, feeling more in-control on the court.
“I respect coach Wilkins so much more now knowing what all goes into the process behind the scenes, because the pressure of playing in the championship is one thing, because in my mind they can dictate the game and I’m just standing there waving my hands,” Hall said.
Both Powell and senior Kendall Wyatt noted that while Hall’s on-court coaching pushed them to new heights, she also helped them excel mentally.
“I started off the year in a bad spot, but coach Hall helped me realize that if I have a bad game, the next day I can come back and do it over. I feel like any time I made a mistake I blamed it on myself, but I had to realize that winning as a team and losing as a team is the same thing, and I had to realize that I am good enough, and winning state as a team, we all won it together,” Powell said.
