2021 GHSA STATE VOLLEYBALL FINALS
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@MizunoVolleyUSA
NOVEMB E R 6 , 2021 A WORD FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
2021 GHSA VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
GREETINGS GHSA VOLLEYBALL FANS
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school athletics and for the team you are here to cheer on. Good sportsmanship is expected from our athletes and I urge you to be positive in your support of all of our teams. Let’s work together to make today’s games a great experience for all involved. To put on an event of this magnitude takes many volunteers who have worked tirelessly to provide a “first class” event. Many hours of work from this group will enhance the experience of our players, students and fans. The GHSA staff has been working for weeks as well to ensure a special event for all involved. Finally I would like to thank our corporate sponsors who make it possible to put on these championships. Their advertisements can be seen throughout this venue and I encourage you to support them whenever possible. The GHSA wants to thank these exemplary companies for their involvement, we appreciate their support. Thank you for your attendance and I know you are going to enjoy the best high school volleyball anywhere!
elcome to the 2021 GHSA Volleyball championships! The games are sure to be exciting as all of the schools represented are looking forward to their team achieving the title of “Champion”. However we all know that all of our teams are outstanding and are definitely winners. This has been an outstanding season and this year’s championship games will include familiar faces as well as teams that have worked hard and peaked at just the right time. Our congratulations are in order for all of the teams, coaches, administrators, students and parents who have supported the athletes through this year’s journey to the final games. I know you will enjoy and appreciate the games and all of Sincerely, the work leading up to this exciting event. I would also like to thank you for your support of high school volleyball throughout the season. Your attendance and James R. Hines, Jr. Executive Director support is integral to the success of high
VOLLEYBALL WILL STREAM LIVE AGAIN For the 13th straight year, volleyball fans will be able to enjoy the excitement of the GHSA Volleyball State Championships presented by Mizuno, Nov. 2 live on the NFHSNetwork.com/ GHSA powered by PlayOn Sports. Subscription rates will apply. On demand viewing is free three days after the event. DVDs can be ordered on NFHSNetwork.com.
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/OFFICIALGHSA
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2021 At LakePoint Sports Complex Court #8 A Private
11:00 am
Mt. Paran vs. Athens Academy
3A
1:30 pm
Sandy Creek vs. GACS
5A
4:00 pm
St. Pius X vs. Greenbrier
7A
6:30 pm
Alpharetta vs. Walton
Court #17 2A/A Public
12:00 pm
Pace Academy vs. Gordon Lee
4A
2:30 pm
Flowery Branch vs. Marist
6A
5:00 pm
Sequoyah vs. Buford
GET YOUR OFFICIAL CHAMPIONSHIP T-SHIRT FROM TEAMIP, ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY AT GHSA PHOTO GALLERY AND DIGITAL COPIES / DVDS AT NFHSNETWORK.COM
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he 2021 Georgia High School Association Voleyball State Championship Guide is published by Score Atlanta, in conjunction with the GHSA. The guide was designed by Adam Schindler, the Managing Editor is Craig Sager II, and Seth Ellerbee, and Graham David assisted with editing. The information and brackets were provided by the GHSA. Photos on the cover are courtesy of Chrystal Moore, Cecil Copeland, and Clyde Click. For more information on Score Atlanta, go to ScoreAtl.com or call 404-256-1572.
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2021 GHSA STATE VOLLEYBALL FINALS
PAST CHAMPIONS
OPEN EVENT | 1993 – Woodward Academy • 1994 – Marist • 1995 – Westminster • 1996 – Woodward Academy • 1997 – Marist
Year AAAAA
1998 N/A 1999 N/A 2000 Walton 2001 Walton 2002 Walton 2003 St. Vincent’s Acad. 2004 Starr’s Mill 2005 Northview 2006 Harrison 2007 Northview 2008 Northview 2009 Pope 2010 Walton 2011 Walton
Year 2012 2013 2014 2015
Year 2016 2017 2018 2019
Year 2020
AAAAAA
Walton Walton North Cobb Walton
AAAAAAA
Walton Walton Walton Walton
AAAAAAA
Alpharetta
4 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
AAAAA
Whitewater McIntosh Sequoyah Columbus
AAAAAA
Harrison Harrison Pope Allatoona
AAAAAA
Buford
AAAA
AAA
Walton Walton Marist Woodward Acad. Woodward Acad. Woodward Acad. Woodward Acad. Woodward Acad. Marist McIntosh Sandy Creek Whitewater Pope Pope
AAAA
AAA
Sandy Creek Columbus Marist Buford
AAAAA
Buford McIntosh McIntosh McIntosh
AAAAA
McIntosh
Marist Marist Westminster Riverwood Westminster Westminster Westminster Westminster Blessed Trinity Columbus Woodward Acad. Woodward Acad. Woodward Acad. Sandy Creek
Blessed Trinity St. Pius X Blessed Trinity Blessed Trinity
AAAA
Blessed Trinity Marist St. Pius Blessed Trinity
AAAA
Marist
AAA
Westminster Pace Academy Pace Academy Pace Academy
AAA
Westminster
AA
Lovett Wesleyan Holy Innocents’ Holy Innocents’
AA
St. Vincent’s Coosa Coosa Coosa
AA/A PUB.
Pace Academy
AA/A
N/A N/A Sav. Country Day Landmark Christian Athens Academy Landmark Christian Wesleyan Wesleyan Wesleyan Wesleyan Westminster Wesleyan Blessed Trinity ELCA
A
Landmark Christian Holy Innocents’ Hebron Christian Calvary Day
A
Calvary Day Calvary Day Mt. Paran Hebron Christia-
A PRIV.
Holy Innocents’
NOVEMB E R 6 , 2021
STATE FINALISTS ASCEND ON LAKEPOINT FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY TOURNAMENT PREVIEW BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL .COM
A
loaded field of state finalists will vie for the 2021-22 Volleyball State Championships Saturday at LakePoint Sports Complex’s Championship Central. In Class 7A, Walton and Alpharetta will square off in a battle of the Raiders in a rematch of last year’s finals. Alpharetta took that meeting 3-1 and won its first-ever championship while denying Walton a sixth-straight title and 15th all-time crown. Walton carries a 26-6 overall record into the championships and arrives battle-tested after a schedule that included top programs from seven different states. Included in Walton’s national tour was a 2-0 road win over Alpharetta back on Aug. 20. Junior outside hitter Mary Neal recorded 12 of Walton’s 25 kills in the victory and is leading Walton with 382 kills on the year. Alpharetta sits at 29-9 heading into its attempted title defense and is coming off a dramatic five-set thriller over North Forsyth in the semifinals. The Raiders were down 2-1 and scored a 26-24 win in the fourth set before a 15-11 victory in the decisive fifth set. Alpharetta’s roster features 6-foot-2 sophomore Logan Wiley—who leads the team with 469 kills on the season. Defending state champion Buford will take on Sequoyah in the Class 6A finals. The Wolves are aiming for a fourth state title
since 2015, while Sequoyah looks for its first state title since 2014. The two programs met previously this season back on Oct. 5 and Sequoyah scored a 2-1 victory. Sequoyah is 51-3 this season and two of those losses came to Pope, which Buford moved past in the semifinals in a five-set battle. Sequoyah is coming off its own five-set marathon against Lassiter in the semifinals.
STATE PROWESS In Class 5A, Greenbrier is one match away from its first-ever state title and will be paired up with two-time state champion St. Pius (2013, 2018). Greenbrier is 36-2 this season and has not lost a single match within the state. St. Pius also has a tremendous resume with a 51-1 overall record and a 36-match win-streak. St. Pius features senior libero Emma Farrell, who leads the Golden Lions with 512 digs. Greenbrier is also loaded with senior talent—including 6-foot-2 middle hitter Eddie Shultz and outside hitter Layla Bland. Defending Class 4A state champion Marist will square off with Flowery Branch in the Falcons’ attempt to win their firstever crown. Marist is 18-15 this season, but has not lost a single match within Class 4A. Flowery Branch earned the No. 2 seed out of
Area 8 and had to travel to Northwest Whitfield in the semifinals where the Falcons scored a 3-1 victory. Ashlyn Browning, Bri Moore and Emma Whitman have been pivotal in Flowery Branch’s run to the finals and they will be squaring off with a Marist team that features libero and reigning 2020 GHSA Class 4A Player of the Year Hadlee Ackerman.
FAMILIAR FOES
Area 5 rivals Sandy Creek and Greater Atlanta Christian will meet for the third time this season in the Class 3A championship. The Spartans took both meetings in the regular season and will look to complete the sweep in order to win the program’s first-ever title. Sandy Creek’s last state title came in 2012 and the Patriots will look to break that championship drought against a formidable and familiar foe. Greater Atlanta Christian sophomore Gracie Rose racked up 35 kills in the Spartans two wins over Sandy Creek this season. Sandy Creek also has a Class of 2024 standout in middle blocker Aubrey Wilson. Standing at 6-foot-2, Wilson posted a season-high 10 kills in Sandy Creek’s most recent meeting with the Spartans on Oct. 14. The Class 2A/A Public final will showcase four-time defending state champion Pace Academy and first-ever championship
hopefuls Gordon Lee. These two teams met back on Aug. 14 and Pace Academy scored a 2-0 victory. Since that match, Gordon Lee and Pace Academy have both faced top competition and have swept their way through the postseason without dropping a single set. Sophomore outside hitter Ellie Siskin leads Pace Academy with 306 kills this year and senior outside hitter Brooklyn Hudson is leading Gordon Lee with her team-high 382 kills. Class A Private is packed with depth and tremendous programs and it will be Mt. Paran and Athens Academy battling for this year’s crown. Mt. Paran previously earned a state title in 2018 and Athens Academy will be looking for its first championship since 2002. Athens Academy is 42-2 on the year with its only losses coming to Class 3A’s Sandy Creek and Oconee County. Mt. Paran carries a 35-7 record and 12-match win streak into the finals. Claire Jordan (15), Kara Dunn (14) and Sarah Schwartz (11) combined for 40 of the team’s 54 kills in Mt. Paran’s 2-1 win over ELCA in the semifinals. As for Athens Academy, the Spartans have not dropped a set through the first four rounds of the playoffs.
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2021 GHSA STATE VOLLEYBALL FINALS
CLASS AAAAAAA A
lpharetta will look to defend its first-ever state title against 14-time state champion Walton in a rematch of last year’s finals. A year ago, Alpharetta
grabbed a 3-1 win in the championship match after falling in the first set 25-17. Walton avenged that loss this year in the regular season with a 2-0 win and will look to complete the season sweep and return to the top of Class 7A. Logan Wiley was only a freshman last year when she posted 17 of Alpharetta’s 52 kills in the championship. Wiley is back as a sophomore and has notched 498 kills this season. Walton will try to match the power of the 6-foot-2 Wiley with outside hitters Mary Neal (382 kills), Aviah Miller (204) and Elizabeth Curry (177). Walton also features senior setter and US Air Force Academy-commit Greta Hans, who has 763 assists this season.
3
Alpharetta
0 Lambert Alpharetta
Forsyth Central
3
3
ALPHARETTA RAIDERS Head Coach: Grace Fossier
WALTON RAIDERS
Head Coach: Suzanne Fitzgerald
Pos. Gr. Pos. Gr. No. Name 1 . . . Sophie Barrett. . . . DS/L. . . . . . . 12 1 . . . . Brooke Boyles . . . . OH/RS. . 9 2 . . . Samantha Nagel. . DS. . . . . . . . . 10 No. Name
Walton
3 . . . Laura Middleton. . DS/L. . . . . . . 12
2 . . . . Daryn Watkins. . . . RS/MB. . 9 4 . . . Elizabeth Cheney. . DS/L. . . . . . . 11
1
3
Alpharetta
Walton
5 . . . Katelyn Kowitz . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4 . . . . Trinity Mitchell. . . . OH/DS.11 6 . . . Aviah Miller. . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . 12 7 . . . Greta Hans. . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . 12
5 . . . . Amanda Kilkelly . . S/RS. . . 12 8 . . . Mary Neal. . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . 11 9 . . . Elizabeth Curry. . . OH. . . . . . . . . 12
6 . . . . Madison McLin. . . MB . . . . . 9 10. . Dorothy Johnson. . MH. . . . . . . . 10
OCT. 26
Hillgrove
OCT. 30
NOV. 6
OCT. 30
Walton
1
OCT. 23
2 N. Gwinnett
11. . Madelyn Lyons. . . S. . . . . . . . . . . 10
7 . . . . Cait KilKelly. . . . . . . MB . . . . . 9 12. . DeAnn Small. . . . . DS/L. . . . . . . 12 8 . . . . Andi Thomson. . . . DS. . . . . 12 13. . Hana Sucic. . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . 11 9 . . . . Sarah Michaels. . . . RS . . . . . 12 10. . . Guilia Triulzi . . . . . . S/OH . . 12
N. Forsyth N. Forsyth 3 6 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
2
12. . . Logan Wiley . . . . . . MB/RS. 10
0 Cherokee
13. . . Madie Boland. . . . . S . . . . . . 10
3 Cherokee
15. . . Essence Jones . . . . MB/RS. 11 16. . . Piper Pitchford. . . . DS. . . . . 10
14. . Lydia Zeng. . . . . . . DS/L. . . . . . . 10 15. . Katie Neal. . . . . . . . DS/L. . . . . . . 10 16. . McKenzie Brown . MH. . . . . . . . 10 17. . Gabriela Brant. . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . 9 18. . Abigail Li. . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . 9 19. . Luiza Cesar. . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . 11 20. . Morgan Savula. . . DS. . . . . . . . . 11 21. . Lihi Zaibert. . . . . . . MH. . . . . . . . 10 22. . Kimberlyn Nicholaou.OH. . . . . . . . . 11 23. . Sophia Henry. . . . . MH. . . . . . . . 10 24. . Hailey Green . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . 9 25. . Ansley Asche. . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . 10
NOVEMB E R 6 , 2021
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2021 GHSA STATE VOLLEYBALL FINALS
CLASS AAAAAA
SEQUOYAH CHIEFS
Head Coach: John Edwards No. Name Pos.
Gr.
uford is 36-4 and has lost just one match within Class 6A this season and that loss came to Sequoyah on Oct. 5. Now, the Wolves will look to avenge that 2-1 defeat in a highly-anticipated championship showdown with the 51-3 Chiefs.
B
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Amairany Ruiz. . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Sequoyah’s lineup features juniors Rosa Fisher (550) and Sara Siefert (428), who
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mallorie Zarter. . . . . . . . OH/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
have combined for 978 kills this season along with junior setter Taylor Pecht—who
7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Piper Smith . . . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
posted 63 assists in the semifinals and has 1380 on the year. Buford’s lineup features juniors Dylan and Polly Cummings. Polly tallied 56 assists in the semifinals against Pope and Dylan has 14 digs. Sophomore Ella Williams also had 14 digs in the semifinals and Ashley Sturzoui registered a team-high 18 digs. Additionally, Buford senior and California-commit Mikayla Hayden surpassed 1,000 career kills back in August and has 294 this season in addition to her team-high 69 total blocks.this past season. Creekview
3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sayler Davies. . . . . . . . . . OH/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skylar Martin. . . . . . . . . . L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Callie Gaddis. . . . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Pecht. . . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rosa Fisher. . . . . . . . . . . . RS/OH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sydney Huyck. . . . . . . . . RS/OH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlotte Ambrose. . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catherine Brumbeloe. . MB/RS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emily Brown . . . . . . . . . . MB/RS/OH . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sara Siefert. . . . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
0
3
Pope
24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Asby Rowson. . . . . . . . . . OH/RS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
BUFORD WOLVES
Head Coach: Hadli Daniels
Lassiter
2
2
Pope
No. Name Pos.
Gr.
1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dylan Cummings. . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Lassiter
3
1 Lakeside,Evans
Sequoyah
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexa Flowers. . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ella Williams. . . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grace Moon. . . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trinity Haynes. . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
OCT. 27
Sequoyah
OCT. 30
NOV. 6
OCT. 30
Buford
3
OCT. 27
3
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Carefoot . . . . . . . . . OPP/MH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mikayla Hayden. . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Camryn Carlton. . . . . . . RS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Buford
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Polly Cummings. . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Payton Danley. . . . . . . . .MH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Sequoyah 3
3
12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sydney Austin. . . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Buford
15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashley Sturzoiu . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kiana Polk. . . . . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Kennesaw Mt. 0 8 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
1
Lee Co.
18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sophie Hill. . . . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
NOVEMB E R 6 , 2021
CLASS AAAAA G
ST. PIUS X GOLDEN LIONS Head Coach: John Frederick
reenbrier (36-2) and St. Pius (51-1) have played a combined 90 matches this season and have only dropped three matches. What is even more impressive
and noteworthy is that none of those three losses came within the state this season and so this is a true collision course. Seniors Layla Bland (332) and Eddie Schultz (331) are Greenbrier’s top hitters and Schultz provides a 6-foot-2 presence for the Wolfpack that has led to a team-high 68 total blocks. Greenbrier’s star-powered senior class also includes libero Avery Meredith (359 digs) and setter Lydia Clark (961 assists). St. Pius is loaded with power and playmakers, including Kate Larocco (326 kills), Nina Shaw (317), Lura Underwood (215) and 6-foot-3 middle hitter Annemarie Rakoski (288). St. Pius also relies on senior libero Emma Farrell (512 digs) and senior setter Avery Brown (832 assists).over Whitewater in the semifinals and Ashlynn Barnes posted a team-high 21 assists. St. Pius X
1 Northside. Col
3 St. Pius X
McIntosh
3
0
1
Woodward Acad.
GREENBRIER WOLFPACK Head Coach: Kevin Williams
No. Name Pos.
Gr.
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Layla Bland . . . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
3
St. Pius X
No. Name Pos. Gr. 0 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I’yonna Sianni. . . . . . . . . OH/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abby Williams. . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lura Underwood . . . . . . OH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erin Burke. . . . . . . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rose Porter . . . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jillian Fry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bridget Consolazio. . . . MH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hayley Froseth. . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kate Larocco. . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Audrey Balzer. . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emma Farrell. . . . . . . . . . L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isa Boyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Avery Brown. . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly Stephenson . . . . . MH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nina Shaw . . . . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madeline Kelly . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Zimmerman. . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liv Diaz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annemarie Rakoski. . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Woodward Acad.
3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leanna Joiner. . . . . . . . . OPP/OH/S. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor Hall. . . . . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eddie Schultz . . . . . . . . . MH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katelyn Wood. . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lydia Clark. . . . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
OCT. 26
Blessed Tr.
OCT. 30
NOV. 6
OCT. 30
8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annabelle Smith . . . . . . OH/RS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Avery Meredith. . . . . . . . L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lauren Henshaw. . . . . . S/OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Greenbrier
3
OCT. 26
3 Greenbrier
11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaitlyn Rogers. . . . . . . . . DS/L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brooklyn Oliver. . . . . . . . OH/RS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emma Stanley. . . . . . . . . OH/RS/MH. . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Blessed Tr. Harris Co.
0
1
3 Greenbrier
14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cierra Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kat Swift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . MH/RS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
0 Veterans
17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Nicholson. . . . . . . OPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brighton Rinker . . . . . . . DS/S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
9 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
2021 GHSA STATE VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GFBInsurance.com
1 0 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
PROUD SPONSOR OF
NOVEMB E R 6 , 2021
CLASS AAAA
FLOWERY BRANCH FALCONS Head Coach: Taylor Bowman
No. Name Pos.
F
lowery Branch has a chance to win its first-ever state championship, but will have to get past reigning champion Marist in order to achieve that milestone.
The Falcons are led by second-year head coach Taylor Bowman and have reached the finals with outstanding effort and a collection of tremendous performances
Gr.
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abby Szavo . . . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madelynn Pruitt. . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashlyn Browning. . . . . . OH/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
by senior outside hitters Ashlyn Browning and Brianna Moore. Senior Savannah
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brianna Moore. . . . . . . . RH/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Regnier has been a defensive force for the Falcons and assists leader Lyza Thigpen
8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cadence Ly. . . . . . . . . . . .DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
continues her outstanding junior campaign. Marist boasts its own all-star cast and
12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bethany Parks. . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
will have 5-foot-11 outside hitter Meg Fletcher (278 kills) leading the attack at the
13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lyza Thigpen. . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
net. Fletcher also has 228 digs this season and teammate libero Hadlee Ackerman leads the team in digs with 378. The War Eagles have also relied on freshman Sofia Dawson—who has posted a team-high 377 assists this season. Pickens
0
14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madelynn Wingate. . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Valeria Quintero. . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emma Witman . . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3
Marist
21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kyra Angy. . . . . . . . . . . . . RH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
MARIST WAR EAGLES Flowery Br 3
3
Head Coach: Leah Longoria
Marist
No. Name Pos.
Gr.
1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maddie Lamm. . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Flowery Br 3
0
Flowery Br
Islands
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Addie Olderman . . . . . . MH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hadlee Ackerman. . . . . L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maya Warrier. . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caroline Short. . . . . . . . . OPP/OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
OCT. 27
OCT. 30
NOV. 6
OCT. 30
OCT. 27
6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carley York. . . . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maria Kennedy. . . . . . . . OPP/OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Marist
NW Whitfield3
0
Jefferson
8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sofia Dawson . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gracie Stokes. . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lucy Niemeyer. . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
NW Whitfield 1
12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Meg Fletcher. . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
0 Fayette Co.
13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caitlyn Jones. . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sophia Waugh . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Chestatee
0
3 Fayettte Co.
15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Faith Henley . . . . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenna Woodward. . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
1 1 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
2021 GHSA STATE VOLLEYBALL FINALS
CLASS AAA A
pair of Area 5 teams in the Class 3A finals gives the Sandy Creek Patriots a chance at the programs first state title since they claimed the Class 4A title in 2012, while
the Greater Atlanta Christian Spartans are hopeful to take home their first-ever state title in school history. Sandy Creek was able to advance all the way to the semifinals last season where they fell to Morgan County 3-0, and so far the Patriots have only surrendered one set during their path to this year’s finals in a 3-1 victory over Lumpkin County in the first round. Since then, the Patriots went on to sweep Savannah Arts in the second round, LaFayette in the quarterfinals and Oconee County in the semifinals after the Warriors defeated defending champions Westminster 3-2. After three consecutive shutout victories for GACS against White County, Windsor Forest and Hart County, the Spartans finally surrendered their first set of the postseason against Cherokee Bluff before closing out the 3-1 semifinals victory to earn the championship berth. GAC
3
0 LaFayette GAC
Head Coach: Rachel VanderPol No. Name
3 Sandy Creek
3
GACS SPARTANS
SANDY CREEK PATRIOTS Head Coach: Tishay Lewis
Pos. Gr. No. Name
Pos. Gr.
2 . . . . Madison Burrough.L/S. . . . . 10 1 . . . . Kampbell Mack. . . RS. . . . . 11 5 . . . . Trinity Thomas. . . . OH . . . . 11 2 . . . . Sky White. . . . . . . . . S/DS. . . 11
Hart Co.
0
3 Sandy Creek
GAC
6 . . . . Jaina Dybdahl . . . . L . . . . . . 12 3 . . . . Jada Caruthers. . . . MH. . . . 10 7 . . . . Kailey Maine. . . . . . OH . . . . 11 5 . . . . Maya Jones. . . . . . . DS. . . . . 11 8 . . . . Sophi Pak. . . . . . . . . DS/L. . . . 9 6 . . . . Nina Atkins. . . . . . . S/DS. . . . 9
OCT. 26
OCT. 30
NOV. 6
OCT. 30
OCT. 26
9 . . . . Ivy Holland. . . . . . . MH/OH.11 7 . . . . Trinity Jackson. . . . RS. . . . . 12 13. . . Autumn Clark. . . . . OH/RS/DS.12 9 . . . . Skye Graham . . . . . OH/DS.10
Cherokee Bluff
Sandy Creek
3 Cherokee Bluff
Morgan Co.
1
1 2 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
1
3 Oconee Co.
15. . . Addie Stinchcomb.S . . . . . . 10 10. . . Saige Grider. . . . . . DS. . . . . 11 16. . . Lily Owenby. . . . . . DS/OH.11 11. . . Aubrey Wilson. . . . MB . . . . 10 18. . . Naya Ohuabunwa. RS. . . . . 11 16. . . Lindsey Tapp . . . . . OH/DS.12
0 Oconee Co.
21. . . Kennedy Seymour.MH. . . . 11 19. . . Alexis Daniels. . . . . L. . . . . . . 11
2Westminster
22. . . Janie Stinchcomb. MB . . . . 11 20. . . Symantha Lewis . . MH. . . . 10 23. . . Gracie Rose. . . . . . . RS/OH/S.10 23. . . Haley Janeski. . . . . S/DS. . . 12
NOVEMB E R 6 , 2021
1 3 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
2021 GHSA STATE VOLLEYBALL FINALS
CLASS AA/A-PUBLIC A
GORDON LEE TROJANS Head Coach: Kelly Paine
No. Name
PACE ACADEMY KNIGHTS Head Coach: Anna Bush
Pos. Gr. No. Name
Pos. Gr.
fter winning three consecutive state titles in Class 3A from 2017-2019 before 2 . . . . Samantha Cramer. MH/S. . 12 1 . . . . Dhru Lalaji. . . . . . . . L. . . . . . . 10 2 . . . . Isabelle Wilhelm. . S/DS. . . 10 being reclassified to Class 2A/A Public, the Pace Academy Knights continued
their dominance on the volleyball court last season by securing the Class 2A/A 3 . . . . MaryKatherineRoberts.S/DS. . . 12 3 . . . . Morgan Neill. . . . . . DS. . . . . 12 Public state title. Now, they are back again to try for a fifth straight title against 4 . . . . Emoree Rogers . . . S/OH . . 12 4 . . . . Brooke Brumfield. S/DS. . . 11 familiar finals opponent Gordon Lee. The two programs squared off in the finals last season with the Knights claiming the 3-2 victory to deny the Trojans their first-
5 . . . . Brooklyn Hudson. OH . . . . 12
5 . . . . Briea Craft. . . . . . . . MB . . . . 11 6 . . . . Gadit Bejar . . . . . . . OPP/MB.10
ever state title. This go-around Gordon Lee has yet to surrender a set during its 6 . . . . Macy Haney. . . . . . DS. . . . . 11 7 . . . . Megan Hardesty. . DS/OH.12 run through the postseason and return to the finals with seniors Brooklyn Hud- 12. . . Alex Finch. . . . . . . . DS. . . . . 12 8 . . . . Taylor Knowlton. . DS. . . . . 12 son and Emoree Rogers who carry finals experience as key parts of last season’s runner-up team. Pace Academy wont just hand Gordon Lee its historic win how-
14. . . Reagan Yancey. . . . MH . . . . 10
9 . . . . Riley Alkire . . . . . . . DS/OH.11 10. . . Makenzy Sloan . . . OH . . . . 12
ever, as the Knights have also put together a flawless run through the bracket 16. . . Katelyn Johnson. . MB . . . . 10 11. . . Grace Agolli . . . . . . OH/S . . 10 and are led by sophomore Ellie Siskin who has a team-high 306 kills this season. 17. . . Arilyn Lee. . . . . . . . . MB/RS. 12 12. . . Sophie Shapiro . . . DS. . . . . 11 Lovett
3
0
Bremen
20. . . Madolynn Loyd. . . RS/OH. 10
14. . . Ellie Siskin. . . . . . . . OH/OPP.10 15. . . Kennedi Evans. . . . MB/OPP.10
21. . . Riley Shirley . . . . . . OH . . . . 11 16. . . Julia Holmes. . . . . . OPP/MB .
Lovett Lake Oconee Acad.
0
OCT. 27
Gordon Lee
0
3 Pace Acad. 3
Gordon Lee
OCT. 30
NOV. 6
OCT. 30
Pace Acad.
3 Gordon Lee
Armuchee 0 1 4 | W W W. G H S A . N E T
3
Pace Acad.
OCT. 27
3
Union Co.
0 Union Co. 0 Dade Co.
NOVEMB E R 6 , 2021
CLASS A-PRIVATE
MOUNT PARAN EAGLES Head Coach: Selina Chancy
D
uring Athens Academy’s post season run last year, the Spartans were sent home early after a 3-0 loss to the eventual champions Holy Innocents’ in the semifinals. This year, it was the Spartans who sent home the Golden Bears with a 3-0 semifinals victory to earn the championship berth and a chance at the programs second-ever state title and first since 2002. The shutout victory marked the fourth of the post season for Athens Academy, who have yet to surrender a set to an opposing team. Mt. Paran Christian was unable to advance past the second round of last year’s playoffs, losing 3-1 to future champs Holy Innocents’, but are now back in the finals for the first time since 2018 looking to secure the Eagles’ second state title in program history. Riding a 12-game win streak, Mt. Paran will look to senior Kara Dunn and junior Claire Jordan to carry their playoff experience into the finals in hopes of bringing home the title.
Hebron Chr.
0
0
George Walton
No. Name Pos. Gr. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nani Grace Arnold. . . . . OH/OPP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kaitlyn Moran . . . . . . . . S/OPP/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Lusk. . . . . . . . . . . . . L/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paige Armstrong. . . . . . L/S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Riley Jordan . . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sadie Parkerson. . . . . . . S/OPP/OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molly Cox. . . . . . . . . . . . . OPP/DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emma Kyle. . . . . . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Riley Duncan. . . . . . . . . . MB/OPP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annie Elliott. . . . . . . . . . . OPP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zandy Geiger . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Helen Carmack . . DS/OPP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claire Jordan. . . . . . . . . . OH/OPP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kara Dunn . . . . . . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sarah Schwartz. . . . . . . . OH/OPP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexis Stubbs. . . . . . . . . . S/OPP/OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
ATHENS ACADEMY SPARTANS Head Coach: Jane Thomas
Eagles Lnd Chr
Holy
1
0 Innocents’
No. Name Pos.
Gr.
2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Addison Ollendick-Smith. MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Eagles Lnd Chr
Holy
3
3 Innocents’
Mt. Paran Chr.
3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mara Thomas. . . . . . . . . . S. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Polly Rackley. . . . . . . . . . RS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Miller . . . . . . . . . . . RS/L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
OCT. 27 Mt. Paran Chr.
OCT. 30
NOV. 6 Athens Acad.
3 Mt. Paran Chr.
Brookstone 2
OCT. 30
3
OCT. 27
3 3
Athens Acad.
7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peyton Wheeler. . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mae Kline. . . . . . . . . . . . . RS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Nealy. . . . . . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lilly Manoll. . . . . . . . . . . . DS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madeline Wicker . . . . . . OH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Athens Acad.
12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lucy Hayes. . . . . . . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Emma Hooper. . . . . . . . .DS/RS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
0 N Cobb Chr
14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Veronika Babbitt . . . . . . MB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1 5 | W W W. G H S A . N E T