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  • Addison High junior Sadie Beam was the MVP of the Class 2A state tournament earlier this year.

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December 25, 2009

THE TIMES PREP VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Beam combines strength, serve to dominate the competition

Mike Cummings The Cullman Times

ADDISON — Everybody knows diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

Thanks to a remarkable volleyball season with one of her real best friends, Sadie Beam knows it as well as anybody.

Nearly two months after leading Addison High to its fourth state title this decade, Beam and her Addison teammates received their championship rings during a ceremony Tuesday evening.

The rings, made of white gold, feature the school's name, the players’ names and a single diamond on top.

Not bad for a season’s work on the court, huh?

“I don’t think I’m ever going to take it off,” said Beam, an outside hitter who has been named The Times Prep Volleyball Player of the Year.

Beam’s excellent numbers — the junior recorded 670 kills, 176 aces, 338 digs and 67 blocks this past season — earned her a number of accolades, including the Class 2A Elite 8 MVP. But Beam frequently deflected praise to her teammates during Addison’s run to the Class 2A state title, the program’s first since winning three straight 1A championships from 2003-2005.

“She’ll tell you it’s the rest of the team that makes her good,” said Addison High coach Pam Wilkins, whose team finished with a 69-3 record while defeating 13 teams that eventually made the Elite 8 in Pelham. “She always says she wouldn’t stand out if not for the rest of them.”

One of the most important teammates was senior setter Kali Lake, Beam’s first cousin and close friend.

“I really wanted to win it last year, but I think it meant a lot more to us this year,” said Beam, whose team lost to Lexington in the 2008 title match. “Kali is like a sister to me and (Addison senior) Kaydi Langley is a really close friend, too. So we really wanted to win it for them this year.”

This year’s state championship match — which was also against Lexington — on Oct. 29 was a good example of Addison’s teamwork. Beam recorded seven kills while Kaitlin Parker had 14 and Langley added 12. Lake led the Bulldogs with 39 assists.

But even though Addison’s team was full of what Wilkins called “great” players, Beam managed to stand out. Though the junior is undersized for an outside hitter at 5-foot-7, Wilkins said the Addison junior makes up for that with a couple other qualities.

“The thing about Sadie is that she’s just a dynamic player,” Wilkins said. “She’s not the ideal volleyball player because of her size, but the thing that sets her apart is her strength.”

“I think she intimidates people with her serve,” Wilkins added. “She definitely is an intimidator on the court.”

It was hard to not be intimidated by Beam, who connected on 82 percent of her serves this past season. For her career, the Bulldogs standout has 651 aces — meaning Beam has a legitimate shot at the state record before her prep career is over.

But intimidating? Beam wasn’t so sure.

“Well, I am pretty loud, so I guess that is an intimidating thing,” she said. “I try to be as loud as I can on the court.”

• Mike Cummings can be reached by email at michaelc@cullmantimes.com or by phone at 734-2131, ext. 258.

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