Two games into the season, the Dallas County Hornets volleyball team sat at 0-2. Four matches later, Dallas County was 4-2, and had secured two victories over area opponents.

Hornets head coach Linda Moore kept the positive momentum going to lead her team all the way to a class 5A, area 6 championship and a 21-6 season, earning her the distinction of being named the Times-Journal’s 2015 volleyball coach of the year.

“I know all the girls in the county work hard. We all work hard to continue to give volleyball a good name,” Moore said. “I like having competition of playing everybody in the county, but I’m honored for this opportunity to be volleyball coach of the year.”

Moore started the Dallas County volleyball program in 2010, and has been working to improve her team ever since. The last two years, the Hornets finished as the runner-up in the area tournament.

This season, Moore finally accomplished one of her goals, as Dallas County defeated Demopolis three sets to one to win the area championship on Oct. 20. Moore said winning the area was the high point of the season for her and her team.

The success the Hornets experienced this season was in part due to CrossFit training in the summer. Moore said the CrossFit prepared the Hornets for the many obstacles they would face throughout the season.

“It challenged us, and it not only challenged us physically but it challenged us mentally,” Moore said. “When we got tired, most times the mental aspect is what breaks down. But with our girls, what they worked on is even though my body is tired, I’ve got to keep my mind going, and that really challenged and helped us a lot.”

The team met at the beginning of the season, and Moore talked with her players about what they hoped to accomplish in the season. The players, many of whom are upperclassmen, had been through a couple of second place finishes in the area tournament and wanted to send senior Tori Hatfield out on a high note.

Moore said her team accomplished one of its goals, but didn’t manage to accomplish winning in the super regional. With six seniors on next season’s roster, Moore is confident her team can win a super regional game in 2016.

Just because Dallas County performed better than it ever had this past season, neither Moore nor her players are satisfied with the results.

“I know that they don’t want to go through the same thing, so that’s why I truly feel like they will work harder this offseason, and in the summer time work harder so that they can at least do better than what we did last year,” Moore said.

While it’s only been a couple months since the Dallas County volleyball season ended, Moore said she is itching to get back on the court so that she can work toward continuing to propel the Dallas County volleyball program to new heights.

“I know I speak for all the coaches in the county too that can’t wait until we can get those balls out again and start working on the skills and the drills and trying to make this upcoming year better than the last year,” Moore said.