By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

For Brittany Todd, anything less than a state tournament berth is unacceptable. The second year head coach of the Calera Lady Eagles volleyball team fell short of that goal in her first year at the helm, when Calera got bounced in the first round of the super regional against Faith Academy, but plans to change that this season.

“I played at Pelham,” Todd said. “When I was at Pelham we went to state every year. I still hold that same expectation to go to state every year. Absolutely our goal is to get to the state tournament. Obviously winning state is the ultimate goal, but we want to be at the state tournament this year.”

Todd was quite the player in her day. After spending her high school career at Pelham she went on to play four years at Faulkner University in Montgomery, where she set the school record for kills in a season and kills in a career in her time as an outside hitter. Now she is hoping for the same kind of success on the coaching side of the game.

Last year Calera won its area, 5A Area 7, by defeating Helena in five games in the area championship. The Lady Eagles finished the season below .500, however, coming in at 11-13. To improve on that mark this season, Todd will look to three players to lead the team on the court. Madison Brooks, a senior outside hitter, Hannah Marling, a junior setter and right side hitter and Dreka Griffin, a junior middle blocker, will all be the key faces for the 2015 Lady Eagles.

Looking ahead to the 2015 campaign, Todd knows for this team to achieve its goal of getting to the state tournament, they’ll have to face the same foes as last season.

“In our area it’s Helena,” Todd said. “Their coach, Amanda Lewis, has done a great job there in just a year. They always are going to give us a competitive game. Also Faith Academy is there in the region, too. We have to get past them, we know that.”

Calera opens play this season with an Aug. 27 match at Shelby County High School.