How coach Ryan Gravlee built Northridge volleyball into a Tuscaloosa standard-bearer

In a gym with three other games happening, Northridge volleyball stunned viewers at the 6A South Regional quarterfinals.

Three-time 6A Area 7 champion Northridge routed the 6A Area 8 winner John Carroll Catholic (Birmingham) 25-8 to win the first set.

“I had never experienced anything like that before,” said senior libero Preslee Thompson, who was honored as  The Tuscaloosa News Player of the Year. “Experiencing a win that you just worked so hard for and that your teammates had just put in so much work for, and then you see the results. It's a great feeling.”

The Jaguars won two out of three sets to end the Cavaliers’ seven-game win streak and gave Northridge its most memorable win of the season, according to coach Ryan Gravlee.

“We weren’t predicted to go that far,” Gravlee said. “We really pulled together as a team. A lot of things we were trying to implement really took off, and the girls really bought in. It kind of pushed us past the point where we did the unthinkable last year.”

Gravlee viewed his team as underdogs after losing seven seniors and felt other schools didn’t view the Jaguars as contenders. Despite winning three consecutive area championships, the history of Northridge volleyball weighed on him.

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“Northridge has always had talent but always struggled with structure,” Gravlee said.

The 2021 Tuscaloosa News Coach of the Year shifted the culture at Northridge when he became coach in 2019. When he arrived, he felt players joined the team as a fun outing. As a result, he installed a competitive drive, where winning and playing the sport right was fun, which caused some players to leave.

“He does everything for the benefit of the team, which is something that is definitely new to me,” senior setter Ella Heifner said. “I've never played competitively (in middle school), so he kind of introduced me to playing competitively and trying to win and actually going to state and being a top contender.”

Gravlee gained his team’s trust by holding himself to the same standard he held his players. He was punctual for practice and gave effort in his coaching, and he expected it in return. He created a culture of competition and accountability that turned Northridge’s fortunes around.

“They know that when we step in the gym, we've got work to do,” Gravlee said. “It's no longer just, ‘Hey, we've got practice.’ It's more of, ‘We've got a job to do. We've got a common goal that we're working toward.’”

Gravlee learned under the tutelage of one of Alabama’s all-time winningest coaches, Tammy Richardson, as an assistant at McAdory High School from 2016-2018, and Bevill State Community College coach Saige Beaty. Richardson taught Gravlee patience and how turning a program can take time, while Richardson’s fiery personality showed him how to be tough on his players. Gravlee found a balance of calm and stern to build Northridge’s culture.

In creating a competitive culture, Gravlee emphasized postseason play. He and his staff study teams Northridge is likely to face in area and regional play. On the court, Gravlee preaches peaking in the postseason to have a sustained run.

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“As long as your team peaks at the right moment, and everything that you've worked on throughout the season is applied to that moment, then I feel like you can really take off,” Gravlee said. “That's what lifted us at the right time last year.”

The Jaguars hit their apex after defeating John Carroll Catholic and St. Paul's Episcopal to advance to the 6A South Regional championship. Gravlee described those victories as two of the best of Northridge’s season.

“It's almost like the atmosphere kind of changes,” Heifner said. “It's almost magical how it just goes from we're just this small-town volleyball team, and then postseason hits, and we feel on top of the world. It's like our game. It's no one else's, and so our practices get more intense. Everyone's attitude (is) like, ‘We know what we're here to do.’”

The Jaguars are 95-46 under Gravlee, made it to the state quarterfinals thrice and have had players graduate to play college volleyball, such as Kaylie Lake (West Alabama).

Still, Northridge has failed to advance to the state semifinals. One of its weaknesses is blocking.

“Our hitters have definitely put in a lot of work, and they know that was probably our biggest weakness last year, especially going up against 6-foot-2 middles that these schools have,” Heifner said. “We’re kind of in the mindset already that blocking has to be on. It has to be powerful before we go into these games.”

Thompson hopes her team can consistently stay disciplined.

“We kind of struggle with that,” the South Alabama commit said. “If we can all just be disciplined, know our roles on the team, know what we need to do and we all do our jobs, I think we'll work well together and be a great team.”

Gravlee has built a viable program and hopes to achieve and receive more community support in his fourth season.

“One thing that we are trying to build here is (having) more people in the community become involved,” he said. “Obviously, football is a sport of the South, but volleyball is really growing between high schools. We've kind of raised the bar a little bit as far as Tuscaloosa volleyball.”

Northridge opens its season at home against Briarwood Christian on Aug. 23.

Derrian Carter is a sports reporting intern for the Tuscaloosa News. Contact him at DCarter@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @DerrianCarter00.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: How Ryan Gravlee turned Northridge volleyball into a powerhouse