DAPHNE, Alabama — To paraphrase a line from one of singer Jewel's most uplifting songs, “‘Her’ hands are small, I know, but,’ Sydney Chandler’s hands, “are ‘her’ own,” and they are very capable and skilled at what they do on the volleyball court.

As a youngster, however, Chandler severely injured those small hands falling forward into the ashes of an outdoor fire pit on her family’s farm.

After second and third degree burns to her hands, legs and neck were followed by multiple surgeries and therapies, she was left with one thumb having less than normal range of motion, but otherwise recovered normal sensation and use in both hands.

“I was lucky, I guess,” she said. “My mom and dad got me to the hospital or doctor right away. I don’t really remember a lot after that, but they took care of me. It feels normal now, except for my thumb, but it doesn’t bother me that much.”

Now at 5-foot-3-inches tall, the Bayside Academy sophomore setter for the defending state champion Lady Admirals — who teammates affectionately call “Sizzle” — may lack altitude at the net, but makes up for any short comings with attitude, hustle and volleyball intuition. She was named to the 3A All-State-Tournament team last year as a freshman. She earned the nickname Sizzle because of her blistering hard serves.

At 15, she can’t drive a car on her own yet, but she has already helped drive two Bayside teams to state championships as the Admirals starter in 2009 and 2010. On the court, the setter is considered the quarterback of the team who makes split-second calls for better or worse. But, Chandler won't be headed for Pelham alone. Riding shotgun will be a pair of 6-foot-plus junior hitters in Gabby Deshotel and Virginia Pittman with fellow sophomores Jhalen Caffey, Morgan Delaney and Harper Morrison packing added punch power.

In the back is lone senior Victoria Smith leading at the libero or defensive specialist position. Also on board and supervising the mission will be head coach Ann Schilling and staff, Brenda Allen, Monique Adams and Lou Ledford.

While Chandler and her sophomore teammates are looking for their third-straight state title, it’s no secret that Bayside Nation will be hoping to make it 10-in-a-row for Schilling and alumni who haven’t seen second place since 2001. Bayside has 19 state banners overall, 16 since Schilling took over in 1987.

The head coach feels confident Chandler has what it takes to handle the pressure on and off the court with such a streak on the line.

“She just plays so much bigger than what she is,” Schilling said. “Just 5-3, but a ton of heart. Normally, you want your setter to have big hands and more reach, but I wouldn’t trade Syd for anybody. Just in grit and determination, and pound-for-pound, she’s as good as any I’ve seen. I don’t even think about her size, really. She can get up enough and get her hands to slow most balls down. Her volleyball I. Q. is good and getting better. She’s very bright and has a high level of understanding of what we’re trying to do as a team. Every now and then, I might catch her making a mistake, but not often. No one’s decision making is perfect all the time, but sometimes she comes close. She moves the ball around from antenna to antenna and mixes things up. She gets the concept overall and when your setter does that, it takes you, as a team, a long way.”

Schilling then smiled and said, “Of course, she does have some good hitters to go to. And when they’re on they can make anybody look good. But she has the smarts to trust in them to do their part and I know they, well we all have confidence in her. Plus, Sydney just has a lot of leadership qualities. She’s a real positive motivator out there. Even when she was an eighth grader, the kids respected her and paid attention. She overcame some serious injuries when she was young and I don’t know how it affected her, really, but I do know as a student and as a person, she is an exceptional young lady. But as a coach, I can say she’s doing just fine.”

Chandler said she had hopes of playing as a hitter/blocker when she was starting out, but realizes now why she was steered toward setting.

“I think I wanted to be a hitter when I was little, but my mom and dad said with my height I should think about playing setter. My mom did in high school and college and Schilling helped me a lot and my mom too with it (the position). And then I started getting better at it. I love it now. It really fits my personality,too. I think.

“I like to take control and be bossy on the field like a quarterback does. Call the plays, run the plays and make decisions. You have to watch the hitters out of the corner of your eye and see the ball and where the other team is and know where everybody is as much as possible. It’s fast, but it's fun. I really love everybody on the team. I have so much confidence in my hitters and Victoria behind me. She’s a great passer.”

Chandler feels confident in the Admirals’ chances of repeating again this year at state.

“It wouldn’t be fun if we don’t, but I believe we can. I have so much confidence in them and how we work together through pressure. We all play better when the pressure’s on. We’re going to do our best, I know that. we always do.”

Chandler is the daughter of Bryan and Ree Chandler and the sister of Jacquelyn Chandler of Silverhill.