Following her mother’s footsteps

Published 9:57 am Thursday, December 9, 2010

Ashville alumnus Mara Mattison is set to begin coaching a Gadsden Volleyball Club team next month, something that makes her mother proud.

“She may actually follow in mom’s footsteps one day,” said Denise Mattison, the Lady Bulldogs’ longtime varsity coach.

Mara just finished her second season as setter for the Southern Union State Lady Bisons, averaging 6.6 sets per game.  The 2009 Ashville graduate, who was at the top of her class with a 4.0 GPA, attended SU on a volleyball scholarship, signing with the Wadley, Ala. college at the same time as her best friend and teammate Angela Gillispie.

During her freshman year, she was named to the All-ACCC Region Second Team and voted Most Improved by the Lady Bisons, who advanced to the state tournament each of her two years on the team.

Planning on attending Jacksonville State University next fall to purse a degree in special education, Mara recently discussed her sport’s challenges, a favorite memory from Ashville, and what it was like having a coach who was also her mom.

What she likes most about volleyball:  “I love the rush when someone kills the ball off my set.  It is so exciting.”

The sport’s most challenging aspect:  “For me, it would be staying mentally strong.  I know I have to block out the crowd and focus on what I need to do to win.  My high school coaches, Dale Beason and my mom, prepared me to be able to do that at the college level.  They kept me strong and told me to never give up.”

Her favorite high school varsity memory:  “It would have to be from my senior season.  We had a tri-match at home against Springville and Guntersville.  Springville, of course, has always been our big rival, and Guntersville was ranked No. 2 in the state in Class 4A.  We ended up beating Springville really bad, and this was right after Springville had beaten us in the county championship a couple of weekends earlier.  We also played a good match, but did not win, against Guntersville, who has always been a very strong team.  We played our hearts out those two games, and we had a really good time doing it.  It’s also my favorite memory because it was after those games that Angelica and I were offered scholarships to play at Southern Union together.”

What it was like having her mom for a coach:  “It was tough at times, because she always pushed me the hardest.  I always felt like it was so unfair, but I really appreciate the way she treated me.  She is a great coach, and she really cares about every single one of her players. I love her very much.”