It’s Tuesday afternoon, and the gym is quiet. There are no balls ricocheting off the floor, no whistles echoing through the corridors, no screams of victory, no anguish of defeat.
Volleyball season is over.
But for Jasper senior Meah Nelson, this feels different. Because on October 29, Jasper (32-21) was eliminated by Pelham (36-14) in the Elite Eight of the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) State Volleyball Championships, and Meah’s high school volleyball career came to an end.
Sure, she will continue her playing career at Bishop State Community College in Mobile, Ala., but putting her high school career in the rearview is one of the most sobering moments a young athlete can face.
“I’m just going to miss playing high school volleyball,” Meah says. “That’s what my life has revolved around, literally since the seventh grade.”
For Jasper, success on the court has become almost second nature. Glenda Wright, a Hall of Fame coach who amassed a 1458-591 overall record, led Jasper to an Elite Eight finish in 2013 and a Final Four the following season. The team then won back-to-back state championships in 2018 and 2019, was runner-up for the state title in 2017, and won eight straight area titles from 2015-22, all under head coach Bobby Daniels. Former Spain Park head volleyball coach Kellye Bowen took over the program last December and guided the Vikings to another deep playoff run in 2024.
Meah, a senior who played multiple positions for Jasper, was both a recipient of that success and a steward of it. Out of all the descriptors for her player, Bowen underscores Meah’s attitude and versatility. “Meah never had a bad day, she always came in smiling. She was very coachable…and wherever we put her, she adapted,” Bowen said.
The feeling Meah has for her coach is mutual. Emphasizing the energy that Bowen brings each day, Meah says, “it made me so ready to come to practice and hear what she had to say, hear the next lesson we were going to learn about. She taught me some very valuable life lessons, and she’s just amazing. I feel like when a coach comes in like that, you feed off that energy.”
This season, each player on Jasper’s team selected a word that would both embody their overall approach to the game and serve as a compass throughout the year. Meah’s word was “leadership.”
“I really wanted to go into this season being a leader and taking a leadership role,” Meah said. “I wanted to get my point across that everybody on the court and everybody on the team could be a leader…not just seniors or older people. My mentality (this year) was that I needed to be the best person I could be for my team.”
The accolades and offers began pouring in for Meah during the season and in the offseason. First, she announced on October 15 that she was committing to Bishop State. Next, on November 7, she and fellow Lady Viking Emma Rigsby were named Honorable Mention All-State by the Alabama High School Volleyball Coaches Association (AHSVCA).
Meah’s hard work and dedication to her craft paid off, and will pay dividends down the road. Her 312 kills, 62 digs, and 41 blocks tripled her stats from her junior year, and Bowen says that the goal over the next few months is to develop Meah into a six rotation outside, meaning she is never subbed out of the game and can stay in the entire match.
One of the main factors in Meah’s choosing of Bishop State was that she felt at home. Describing her initial visit as a “breath of fresh air,” Meah says Wildcat head coach Nicole Keshock and the other players on the team made her feel welcome and helped eliminate any sense of anxiety of moving to the next level.
Outside of school and sports, Meah is still enjoying the high school life. She loves anything that fuels her sense of adventure. “I like to shop, I like to go out to eat, I like to experience new things. I love adventurous stuff. I love going to water parks, amusement parks, petting zoos, fairs, all that. That’s like right up my alley,” she says.
If there is an overarching lesson to be learned from Coach Bowen, Meah says it’s to be where your feet are.
“Because, you know, life is not promised tomorrow,” Meah adds. “Just be where your feet are. Enjoy the time that I have.”
The ability to continue her volleyball career is not lost on Meah. Bishop State will provide the avenue for that, and Mobile will be the new city in which Meah flourishes. But until then, Meah will continue to give her hometown everything she has. Her word is leadership, and that is precisely what she intends to give until she graduates in May of 2025.
Starting next fall, the city of Mobile will be getting a good one, but Jasper is thankful to have her for just a little while longer. TG
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