DAPHNE — After she collected her 1,000th assist in just her first season and a half as a Daphne Trojan last year, there was no doubt in Lucy McCoy’s mind that she would reach 2,000 assists.

However, she also put that accomplishment out of her thoughts as she played her senior season, so she was caught off guard when the Daphne High School gymnasium burst into celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 11, during the Trojans’ 2-1 win over the No. 8 Hoover Bucs.

“I had no idea. I knew that I had set that goal last year so it had always been in the back of my mind to keep pushing towards what you want, but I had no idea that I was close to achieving that goal,” McCoy said before Thursday’s senior night match.

After freshman Sophie Hester put down the kill that finally notched McCoy’s 2,000th assist at the end of a long rally, the setter was swarmed by her teammates as fans in the gym held up signs with the four numbers on them.

“I had a lot of (the other hitters) come up to me last night and say, ‘I wanted to be the one,’” McCoy recounted. “I didn't even notice it but when I got my 2000th, the parents in the stands held up posters and stuff but I didn't see it until somebody pointed my direction to the stands.”

When she was eventually subbed out of the contest, she was first greeted with a hug from her head coach Casey Craig before embracing her sister Eleanor, a sophomore who was brought up from the junior varsity to be with the team for the end of the regular season and playoffs.

“I think seeing their bond as sisters and having that on our team has been really great. Lucy supports Eleanor in everything she does, and vice versa,” Craig said Thursday. “Having both of them has been really great so the McCoys will continue in the program, hopefully for the next two years. Eleanor doesn't set, she's a great hitter and a great blocker so she'll carve her own path. But just the influence that Lucy's had on all of our players has been phenomenal.”

Craig elaborated on Lucy’s impact on the younger players by saying that one of the two promising sophomore setters on Daphne’s roster, Grace Thigpen, made it her goal to achieve similar assist totals.

“We've got two great setters in our sophomore class that are both on varsity and they look up to Lucy immensely. Earlier this season, they really started kind of getting into that analytical side of the game and looking at their stats,” the head coach said. “(Thigpen) set a goal now for herself, she wants to pass 2,000 or 3,000 before her senior year which she's more than capable of doing.”

After she racked up 326 assists by the end of the regular season her senior year, Lucy sat at 2,078 assists for her career. Entering the postseason this week, the all-county setter had recorded 97 digs, 32 aces, 24 kills and 9 blocks as a senior to push her career totals to 647 digs, 141 aces, 194 kills and 64 blocks.

When she thought back on the biggest keys to helping her reach her goal, Lucy was sure to thank those who put down her passes to score points for the Trojans.

“Just stay consistent. Keep doing what's working,” she said. “I have a lot of great hitters who helped me achieve this goal. It wouldn't be possible without them, they really helped me get to where I am.”

Now that she was there, her sights shifted toward the next big goal of playing collegiately but had a few high school matches remaining before closing the Daphne chapter. Lucy and the Trojans wrapped up regular-season play last week and will prepare for the Class 7A Area 2 tournament at McGill-Toolen on Thursday, Oct. 19, where half of the four teams will move onto regionals and the other half will go home.

“I feel great. The whole team played amazing last night, we had a great two games. I can't wait to see what we do this weekend and next week at the area tournament but I expect some pretty big things from us,” she said. “We're so hyped. We're on edge but we're ready. We're super excited for the opportunity to further our experience in the playoffs. … Daphne is coming back. We're doing it this year.”

Craig said the rest of the team shared that sentiment and carried with them extra energy as well.

“We've been really fortunate to have a very deep bench and be able to try a lot of different things. I don't think that anybody is worn down at this point or anything like that,” Craig said. “This week, they're playing over 10 games, and none of them are tired. They're just all ready to go. So I would say that we have definitely progressed as the season’s gone along and we've just really given a big focus to playing our best volleyball now in October.”

In her 24 hours of reflection, Lucy acknowledged her role in the team but also the support system they have become for each other.

“Volleyball is a team sport so nothing that I have achieved would be possible without the help of my teammates who pushed me to be better every day,” she said. “Both in the gym during practice and as a student, we push each other equally to be better student-athletes.”

With that in mind, Craig emphasized that Lucy’s biggest achievement will be the legacy she leaves behind as a Daphne Trojan.

“The best thing that Lucy and I have talked about is we always want to leave something better than we found it. That's our motto around here. You want to look at it as a four-year plan from your freshman year to your senior year. You want to leave the program in better standing than you found it and carry on great tradition,” Craig said. “We've really been building from the ground up since I got here, and I told Lucy today, I think she should hold her head high in knowing that she definitely is leaving this program better than she found it.”