HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Wallace State has strengthened its volleyball coaching staff with the addition of former Priceville head coach Emily Williams as an assistant coach.
Williams joins the Lady Lions after guiding the Priceville program for the past five seasons, where she helped continue the growth of one of North Alabama’s respected high school volleyball programs. She has already been working with the Wallace State team since the spring and has made an immediate impact, according to head coach Randy Daniel.
“Emily’s been with us since early in the spring and Emily’s a great communicator,” Daniel said. “She has a very young, positive amount of energy. I feel like she’s kind of infused that into the team. Obviously I’m old and experienced, and she can really help the team. She’s been doing great with the team, and they all love her.”
Williams said the opportunity to begin working with the team during the spring made the transition to the college level much smoother.
“It’s been a whirlwind of coming in and getting to meet everybody and getting to know all the players,” Williams said. “During the spring we didn’t have all of our out-of-state players, but we had a lot of our in-state girls here. It was really nice getting to watch them on the floor and see what we have and the structure of what we’re going to build around.”
She said the extra time allowed her to learn the players’ strengths and weaknesses while also becoming familiar with Daniel’s coaching philosophy.
“I’m going from a head coach to an assistant coach, so you’ve got to figure out what the boss wants, what the boss likes and how I can help the program in that way,” Williams said.
Daniel believes Williams’ enthusiasm, communication skills and commitment to the sport have already benefited the Lady Lions.
“She’s going to be a tremendous amount of help,” Daniel said. “Just having another body on the bench that is dedicated to volleyball, not just being an assistant as they finish college or something like that.”
Although she spent the last five seasons as a head coach, Williams said she is excited to embrace her new role.
“It’s been great, and I’m not saying that one role is more important than another,” Williams said. “Every piece makes the puzzle. Assistant coaches are there for the behind-the-scenes work. I want the head coach to be focused on what the head coach needs to do, and that’s winning ball games and taking care of the kids.”
She added that her goal is to make Daniel’s job easier in any way possible.
“I’m a helper by trade, so anything I can do to help, that’s what I want to do,” Williams said. “I love building relationships with the girls and then being able to strategize to figure out how to win ball games.”
For Williams, accepting the position at Wallace State also carries personal significance. While she developed strong ties to the Priceville community during her coaching career, Wallace State has been part of her life since childhood.
“If anybody has learned anything from me in all of my coaching stages and places in life, it’s loyalty,” Williams said. “I was very loyal to Priceville because that’s where I was from and I loved the people there. But Wallace—we go all the way back.”
Williams’ sister won a national championship with the Wallace State softball program, while her brother-in-law played baseball for the Lions. The two met while attending Wallace State, giving Williams countless memories of the campus long before she became a coach.
“As a middle school kid, I was running around here,” Williams said. “I was running around in the Coliseum. I was running around on the softball field and the baseball field. So this is another kind of home for me.”
She also pointed to the college’s athletic tradition and first-class facilities as reasons she is excited to be part of the program.
“Some Division I colleges don’t have the facilities that we have,” Williams said. “Being able to get in that atmosphere and environment is really rewarding. It feels good to be here.”
Williams said Wallace State’s longstanding reputation for success was another factor that attracted her to the position.
“The history, the tradition of winning and excellence—it’s the standard that’s been set here for years,” she said. “I’m lucky to get to learn from Coach Daniel and see how that standard is set.”
Daniel said Williams’ experience as a head coach gives her another valuable perspective that will help the Lady Lions both on and off the court.
“I think her communication skills are something that excels for her personally,” Daniel said. “Just being able to say things a certain way or a different way than I say things obviously increases the amount of instruction and hopefully reaches kids in a better way that can make a difference for them on the court and as a person.”
He added that Williams has already become an important part of the program.
“I’m excited about her,” Daniel said. “She’s been a tremendous amount of help. She was great.”
Williams joins Daniel, who is entering his 19th season as Wallace State’s head coach. The Lady Lions return Darcy Alford, Cheyenne Lucas and Kenzie Wilson from last season’s squad while welcoming 15 newcomers as they look to rebound from an injury-plagued 2025 campaign.
