The Savannah Arts Academy volleyball team went on the road to Lilburn, Ga., and defeated Providence Christian 25-12, 25-6, 25-15 on October 24 to advance to the semifinals of the Class AA state tournament for the second consecutive year.
The Panthers were led by Torrin Higginbotham, who had 13 kills, 2 aces, and 10 digs. Her older sister, Finn Higginbotham, also had a strong game with 16 kills, 1 ace, and 3 blocks. Lilli
e Coffey chipped in with 33 assists, 2 aces, and 11 digs.
During the match, Torrin Higginbotham got her 700th kill and Coffey recorded her 2,000th assist. The Panthers will now face Landmark Christian in the state semifinals on October 28 at 11 a.m. at Jonesboro High School in Jonesboro, Ga.
"It feels absolutely awesome to have reached the state semifinals again,” said Savannah Arts head coach Lauren Lord. “It's a great feeling for the girls to have been able to accomplish this two years in a row. They have a mentality of doing whatever it takes to win and they don't give up. They keep fighting and they push with everything for the team."
Lord said the key to her team’s success has been has been the willingness of the players to do whatever it takes to win.
“We have some amazing players who definitely help us, but it's really the girls' willingness to play hard and to work together that has been the key," Lord said. "Some of our challenges is just making sure that we're disciplined in our fundamentals and when we're doing that we can be absolutely unstoppable. Against Landmark Christian, we will definitely have to be disciplined, focused, hyped, and excited. If we can play like we did last night, we will be unstoppable and the girls can definitely take it all this year!"
Lord said her team will need to play strong and move the ball around to be successful against Landmark Christian.
“We can't be hitting the same spots,” Lord said. “We have to be hitting different spots and going to all different players. We also have to make sure that we're sealing our blocks and that we're agile in our defense."
The Panthers have been motivated to continue the momentum created by the 2022 team.
"I think the biggest difference is that these girls wanted to show that they could do what last year's team did,” Lord said. “They pushed themselves during practice and they're ultra focused right now. They want to show that they're still good and that they're still here to win and to compete."
Stay tuned to the Prep Sports Report for updates about the volleyball semifinals!
.jpg)
