Volleyball season is here, and I’m not going to try to tell you who the seventh-best team in the Savannah area is before everybody has even played a match.
What I can tell you is this:
We’ve got some pretty good volleyball teams around here.
South Effingham won 40 matches last year.
Richmond Hill won 40.
Savannah Arts made another run to the state semifinals.
The Habersham School played for a state championship.
St. Vincent’s reached the state quarterfinals.
And Savannah Christian was already bringing back a bunch of talent before adding one of the area’s best hitters.
So forget the rankings for now.
Who can make some noise in 2026?
That’s what we’re looking at.
Prep Sports Report looked at teams from Bryan, Chatham, Effingham and Liberty counties, using last year’s records and postseason results along with the players coming back this season.
Some are thinking state championship.
Some are trying to take that next step.
And there are probably a couple that are going to surprise us.
Let’s play some volleyball.
SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN PREPARATROY SCHOOL
2025: 29-11 | Area Champion | GHSA Private — Second Round/Sweet 16
Let’s start here.
Savannah Christian didn’t lose an area match last season, finishing 11-0, and Julie Jones already had plenty coming back for her 29th season leading the Raiders.
Avery Ritzert had 477 digs, 432 serves received, 70 aces, 74 assists and 21 kills as a sophomore.
Carinne Cason handed out 527 assists with 150 digs and 78 aces.
At the net, Kamila Salinas finished with 212 kills, 48 blocks and 37 digs.
Then there’s Ella Burgstiner.
All she did as a freshman was record 194 kills, 319 assists, 186 digs and 87 aces.
Senior Ella Quinney adds another returning outside hitter after putting down 172 kills last season.
That’s what Savannah Christian already had.
Then came Myla Shippy.
Shippy, a 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter, transferred from The Habersham School after helping the Patriots reach the GAPPS state championship match.
Her sophomore numbers?
479 kills. 282 digs. 413 serves received. 115 aces. 13 blocks.
She earned All-State and All-Greater Savannah first-team honors.
Savannah Christian didn’t need much help.
The Raiders got it anyway.
SOUTH EFFINGHAM
2025: 40-11 | Class 5A State Quarterfinalist - Elite Eight
There aren’t many ways to make 40 wins sound better than 40 wins.
South Effingham had one of those seasons last year.
The Mustangs reached the Class 5A Elite Eight and have two pretty good reasons to believe the ride isn’t over.
The first is Leah Magana.
The senior setter dished out 1,003 assists last season while adding 241 digs, 70 kills, 56 aces and 18 blocks.
She was a Class 5A All-State selection and the Region 1-5A South Offensive Player of the Year.
The second is senior outside hitter Morgan Stringer, who has committed to Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Stringer had 348 kills, 155 digs, 32 aces and 86 serves received.
The Mustangs know what it takes to get to the final eight.
The goal now?
Don’t stop there.
RICHMOND HILL HIGH SCHOOL
2025: 40-3 | Region Champion | Class 6A State Quarterfinalist - Elite Eight
Here are two numbers that tell the Richmond Hill story.
40-3.
And 10.
The first is what the Wildcats did last season.
The second is how many seniors graduated from that team.
Those seniors helped Richmond Hill win its fourth straight region championship and reach the Class 6A quarterfinals.
So, yes, coach Danielle Ennis has some holes to fill.
She also has players ready for their turn.
Senior captain Alexa Anderson had 130 kills and 210 digs last season.
Senior middle blocker Kailah King led the Wildcats with 56 blocks and added 127 kills.
Junior outside hitter Raeden Sander has also been named a captain.
There are going to be some different names in the lineup.
The goal hasn’t changed.
Five straight region championships.
That’s what Richmond Hill is chasing.
SAVANNAH ARTS ACADEMY
2025: 18-29 | Region Champion | Class 2A State Semifinals - Final Four.
If you stopped reading at 18-29, you missed the important part.
Savannah Arts went 7-0 in region play.
Then the Panthers were still playing when only four teams were left in Class 2A.
That’s Savannah Arts volleyball.
Play anybody.
Take your lumps.
Be ready when October arrives.
And coach Lauren Lord has some serious talent coming back.
Junior Ellie Ayala was the Region 2-2A Player of the Year and an All-Greater Savannah first-team selection.
She had 275 kills.
And 318 assists.
And 302 digs.
And 99 aces.
And 24 blocks.
And 141 serves received.
You get the idea.
Senior middle blocker Charlotte Brown brings back another 241 kills, 98 blocks, 55 aces and 104 digs after earning All-State honorable mention recognition.
Lena Anne Smith was an All-Region selection.
Junior defensive specialist Bella Jaqua had 283 digs and received 417 serves.
Don’t judge this team by the record.
The Panthers have already shown what they can do when the matches matter most.
THE HABERSHAM SCHOOL
2025: 32-11 | GAPPS State Finalist
Let’s get the obvious part out of the way.
Losing Myla Shippy hurts.
You don’t take 479 kills out of a lineup and call it no big deal.
But let’s not forget what else happened at Habersham last season.
The Patriots won 32 matches.
They played for a GAPPS state championship.
And players are coming back who were a big part of that run.
Senior setter Abbey Zellner had 761 assists.
Senior Betsy Kelly recorded 263 digs, 49 aces and received 530 serves.
Then there’s sophomore outside hitter Aniston Smeltzer, who should get the chance to take on a bigger role after a strong freshman season.
Habersham has something to replace.
It also has something to prove.
ST. VINCENT’S ACADEMY
2025: 34-12 | GHSA Private School State Quarterfinalist - Elite Eight
Eight seniors walked out the door.
That’s the story at St. Vincent’s.
Those eight were part of a team that won 34 matches and reached the GHSA Private School quarterfinals.
Now it’s time to find out who’s next.
Holly Binmore, a sophomore outside hitter, is the Saints’ top returning hitter.
Senior Eva Beyer moves into the starting setter role.
On the back row, senior libero Emory Doan gives the Saints an experienced defender, and junior Lillian Doan is another key piece coming back.
Last year’s team was built around a big senior class.
This one won’t be.
That might make St. Vincent’s one of the more interesting teams to follow.
ST. ANDREW’S SCHOOL
2025: 19-12| GIAA AAA State Quarterfinalist - Elite Eight
Don’t sleep on the Lions.
There may not be a 40-win season sitting beside their name, but there is plenty of experience coming back.
Start with senior setter Graci Dare.
Dare earned GIAA All-State and All-Greater Savannah first-team honors after recording 563 assists, 206 digs, 70 aces and 57 kills.
That’s the person running your offense.
Then give her senior outside hitter Ryan McGee, who led St. Andrew’s with 177 kills.
Senior Khloe Jesswein is entering her third season as a starter after recording 128 kills last year.
A senior setter and two veteran hitters?
I’ll take that.
Keep an eye on St. Andrew’s.
CALVARY DAY SCHOOL
2025: 19-11 | 10-0 Area | GHSA Private — Second Round/Sweet 16
Which Calvary number matters more?
19-11?
Or 10-0?
I’m going with the second one.
When it came time to play area matches, the Cavaliers didn’t lose.
They also won a postseason match before bowing out in the second round.
Senior libero Brie Sumner is back after earning first-team All-Region honors. She had 147 digs, received 272 serves and added 32 aces.
Junior outside hitter Mary Watkins earned second-team All-Region honors as a sophomore.
Calvary handled its business in the area last season.
That’s not a bad place to begin 2026.
ISLANDS HIGH SCHOOL
2025: 20-13 | 9-1 Region | GHSA — Second Round/Sweet 16
The Sharks quietly put together a pretty good year.
Twenty wins.
Nine region victories in 10 tries.
And a state playoff win.
Now three All-Region players are back.
Senior outside hitter Olivia Kiley earned All-Region honors.
Junior outside hitter Mia Whitmore was a second-team selection.
So was senior opposite Adeline DeLashmet.
Islands doesn’t need to prove it can win matches.
The Sharks did that.
Can they turn a good season into a better one?
We’ll find out.
EFFINGHAM COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
2025: 20-22 | 3-3 Region | GHSA Playoffs
Here’s why Effingham County gets my attention:
437 kills.
That’s how many Jordyn Powell and Ka’Meil Bates combined for last season.
Powell, a senior outside hitter, led the Rebels with 236 kills and earned All-Region 1-5A North honors.
Bates had 201 kills as a sophomore and also earned All-Region recognition.
Then add junior Brynley Jordan, who recorded 45 kills, 247 digs, 401 serves received and 56 aces.
The Rebels lost 22 matches last year.
They also won 20.
With that much production coming back, there is reason to believe the win column can grow.
SAVANNAH COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
2025: 13-11 | 8-2 Region | GHSA Playoffs
Want another team with experience coming back?
Look at the Hornets.
Senior outside hitter Olivia Aliotta led Country Day with 197 kills last season and added 57 aces and 165 digs on the way to earning All-Area first-team honors.
Charlie Hawkins returns after earning All-Region honors.
Senior defensive specialist Addison Stubbs was also an All-Region selection.
And here’s something worth remembering:
Country Day beat eventual Class 2A semifinalist Savannah Arts in five sets last season.
The Hornets have some pieces.
BRADWELL INSTITUTE
2025: 14-15 | 0-8 Region
Here’s our Liberty County team to keep an eye on.
Senior Zaydi Perez returns at opposite/setter after earning All-Region 1-5A South honors last season.
Bradwell isn’t coming off the kind of season Savannah Christian, South Effingham or Richmond Hill had.
Nobody is saying it did.
But that’s not what this story is about.
The Tigers have an All-Region senior back.
Now let’s see what they do with it.
BRYAN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
2025: 19-18 | 6-4 Region | GHSA Playoffs
Richmond Hill isn’t the only Bryan County team we’re watching.
Bryan County has some ground to make up after last season, and there isn’t a long list of returning stars to throw at you here.
That’s OK.
Every August somebody comes along that wasn’t on everybody’s preseason list.
Maybe there’s one in Pembroke.
The Redskins get their chance to show us.
JENKINS HIGH SCHOOL
2025: 18-11 | 9-3 Region | GHSA Playoffs
Don’t forget about the Warriors.
Jenkins won 18 matches last season and has senior setter Emily Carter back after earning All-Region honors again.
An experienced setter returning to a team coming off a winning season?
That’s worth watching.
Setters touch just about everything an offense does, and Carter gives Jenkins an experienced player running the show.
The Warriors deserve to be in this conversation.
GROVES HIGH SCHOOL
2025: 7-17 | 1-10 Region
Defense gets some love here.
Senior libero Sophia Paxton returns after earning All-Region 3-3A honors last season.
She gives Groves an experienced player on the back row as the Rebels try to take a step forward this fall.
And sometimes that’s where improvement starts — with somebody who’s already been there.
SO, WHO MAKES THE MOST NOISE?
Ask the PSR today?
Savannah Christian has our attention.
The Raiders already had Ritzert, Cason, Salinas, Burgstiner and Quinney coming back.
Then they added Shippy and her 479 kills.
South Effingham isn’t going anywhere after 40 wins and an Elite Eight appearance, especially with Magana and Stringer returning.
Richmond Hill lost 10 seniors, but we’re not betting against a program chasing its fifth straight region championship.
Savannah Arts has shown more than once that you better not judge the Panthers by their regular-season record.
Habersham played for a state championship.
St. Vincent’s won 34 matches.
And after that?
That’s why we play.
Somebody we’ve talked about is going to have a big year.
Somebody we didn’t talk enough about is going to surprise us.
And somewhere out there, a player whose name isn’t on anybody’s preseason list is about to make sure we know who she is.
Good.
That’s the fun part.
No rankings.
No trophies handed out in August.
Just teams getting ready to see how good they can be.
Let’s play volleyball.
Sources: MaxPreps 2025 team records and postseason results; Dennis Knight, Savannah Morning News, “Top volleyball players to watch in the Greater Savannah area for 2026 season,” updated Aug. 7, 2026.
Photos by Prep Sports Report
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