The VCCS Middle School Girls Volleyball team had an amazing season during the 2023-2024 school year. They were undefeated and went on to win the 2023 SPAA Conference Middle School Volleyball Championship! We give God all the glory for what He’s done with this team. Check out this praise report sent in by the head coach, Miss Marlene Jeter.
“This is how it all started, and of course, there’s more to the story, but this is enough to let you know what God did and is still doing with this middle school girls' volleyball team! I just felt this story should be shared to honor God first and all He did for us and our middle school young ladies. The Team Championship trophy came in last week so I am sharing this story now to be a blessing.
I was sitting in church listening to the announcements. “PG” [Pastor Robyn Gool] mentioned that the high school needed a varsity and middle school volleyball coach. I heard the announcement but didn't think about it until I heard him announce it again. I did like everyone else, I just sat there, listened, and thought that it was for someone else. You know, I was thinking, I coach basketball! But one day, I heard him mention how the high school really needed a middle school and varsity volleyball coach. I remember a former minister at VCC mentioned that if Ministry of Helps positions are announced in church, they should fill quickly. That thought came to my mind when PG kept saying, “We need a coach.”
I prayed about it and called the Athletic Director, Coach Mel. I said to him, “I am only calling you because I believe that God wanted me to call.” I mentioned that I would coach the middle school girls if no one else was interested at this time. Coach Mel told me to “go back into my prayer closet and pray about the varsity position (LOL).” Well, I didn't do that because I felt the middle school was really where I was supposed to be coaching.
I accepted the middle school position and when school started back in August 2022, it was time to form a team and start practice. I was asked by Coach Mel to oversee the varsity team and have them practice with the middle school girls because varsity still didn't have a coach yet. I knew where this was going so I asked Coach Gale Pharr and Coach Brewer to assist me with this project when they could. As weeks passed, I was asked if I could just coach both teams for the time being as they interviewed for a varsity coach. I prayed about it and accepted the role to coach both teams. I spent more time with the varsity team due to more weekly games. But God had a plan! I received a phone call from Coach Mel the following summer, which was around June 2023. I was told that they hired a varsity coach, and I was asked if I would still like to continue coaching the middle school girls. I agreed! God also restored time with the middle school girls because we didn't have much time together the previous season. We played in P.E. and it was wonderful to just have the time to focus on them. When tryouts began, I noticed that we had a few new girls. I also noticed that some of the players from before (who I thought would be back) didn’t return for this season. I knew that the best thing to do was pray, give this new team to God, and give God all the Glory for what He was doing and going to do.
After the team was made and we played our first game, Glory to God, we won! In the second game, we won! Third game and so forth, Glory to God, we won! My assistant, Coach Gale Pharr, reminded me that we were undefeated. I was like, “We are?” We played eleven regular season games and won all of them whether we had all our players with us or not. We won! That’s just what God was doing with His team!
As we approached the Conference Playoffs and the Conference Championship, I knew from being a former player, that having an undefeated season isn’t the biggest thing, but winning the Championship is bigger. A Conference Championship for Middle School is like the State Championship for Varsity. I spoke with God about this as we were preparing for Conference Playoffs and heading towards the Championship. I heard, “Why not win it all?” I knew we couldn’t do it without God! I have seen God fight for us! I saw things happen that I knew were because of God’s grace. Glory to God! We won the game to get us to the Conference Championship Game. Even though we were the number one seed, we had to travel for the Championship Game. God was still in control.
Friday, October 13, 2023, was SPAA Conference Championship day! I knew that Victory Christian Center was on the opposing team’s mind and that they had been planning for our coming. One team must win two out of three matches in middle school in order to win the game.
They beat us in the first match. We beat them in the second. Glory to God! I had seen balls going everywhere except where they were supposed to go. Serves were going into the net, it just wasn’t us! We had to get an early start and keep it going in this third match because whoever got to 15 first winning by two were the champions. One of our players had sprained her finger, which we didn’t know, but she went back out there and helped us tremendously. Everybody was playing hard, and we were giving God all of the Glory! We stood together believing by faith that the final serve would go over, and no one would pick it up. The serve went over, and no one picked it up! Glory to God! Game over! We beat North Hills Christian School in the 2023 SPAA Conference Middle School Volleyball Championship! It was awesome to see how God turned things around and to see how their hard work paid off. Conditioning in P.E. and practicing sometimes on game days helped us a bunch. So, when you see these wonderful young ladies, let them know that they are appreciated and that God hasn’t forgotten about them. God honored this team, and we will continue giving [Him] all of the Glory!!!”
