Savannah Arts Academy volleyball standout Torrin Higginbotham will be living her California dream for college.
The senior, a 6-foot-2 outside hitter, has verbally committed to Cal State Bakersfield after visiting the campus on Friday through Sunday.
“I always really wanted to go to school in California, just a different culture, a different vibe,” Higginbotham said on Monday. “When I went on a visit there, I met a lot of the student-athletes. They all seemed to love the school. It has good facilities and really good people.”
After earning GVCA all-state honors and being selected the Area 3-2A Player of the Year for the GHSA Class 2A state finalist Panthers, Higginbotham had college options.
But she had California on her mind.
“I did want to go to California,” Higginbotham, 17, said of a state rich in indoor and beach volleyball culture and history. “It’s obviously going to be a little bit harder to get recruited by California schools, especially if you’re on the East Coast. That was my thing.”
She wasn’t alone in her thinking. Her older sister Finn, also a star volleyball player at SAA before graduating in 2024, had opportunities to play for colleges on the Atlantic side of the country
Finn chose Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, where she was a freshman middle blocker last season on a Sea Lions squad that went 26-2 overall and 19-1 in the Pacific West Conference of NCAA Division II.
“She wanted to go to California,” recalled Torrin, noting that her sister was more in the middle while weighing choices on each coast. “Point Loma reached out to her. She went on a visit and she fell in love with it.”
The sisters’ “Go West” mindset is supported by their mother, Kim Obiala, who was raised in the Chicago area and played volleyball the University of Tennessee.
“Her whole thing was if you’re going to get a volleyball scholarship, why not go somewhere you may not ever live again?” Torrin said.
She said she had never been to California before visiting her sister and making recruiting trips to Golden State volleyball programs.
Torrin sees enrolling at CSU Bakersfield as an educational opportunity to expand her horizons. She plans to major in business.
“College is really expensive, and so many people are staying in state because it’s cheaper,” said Torrin, who expects to receive documents for signing with CSU Bakersfield later this week. “Georgia schools and schools on the East Coast were interested in me, but it’s like, man, it’s the same stuff. I just wanted to experience something new.”
Is CSUB vs. PLNU possible?
It would be new to play against her sister in real matches. Torrin was a four-year starter at Savannah Arts, the first three seasons with Finn as a teammate. But there were occasions when they were on opposite sides of the net while practicing with their club teams, Torrin said.
She broached the subject of a college match against PLNU with Cinthia Angus, the co-interim head coach with Felipe Nogueira. Cal State Bakersfield plays in The Big West, a Division I conference.
“She seemed interested in maybe having a spring match with them,” Torrin said. “It would be very fun and it’s bragging rights for whoever wins.”
While Finn is older by “16 months and 16 days,” Torrin said, emphasizing the 16 because it’s her lucky number, Torrin is not the “little sister.” She contends that both being listed during the fall volleyball season as 6-2 is not the full story.
“… my sister won’t let me measure myself against her,” Torrin said. “Many people, including me, think I’m taller than her.”
Torrin acknowledges her competitive streak, which applies to anything she’s passionate about or good at, like volleyball. She tried to be a high jumper on the SAA track and field team during her freshman year.
“It was not very pretty,” she recalled. “I was still growing. I felt uncoordinated. I realized, ‘stick to volleyball.’ ”
Putting in the mileage
Higginbotham, who has been playing volleyball since fourth grade, decided that joining a club team with the Jacksonville (Fla.) Juniors Volleyball Association would raise her game. Finn also played for the JJVA one year, while Torrin is in her second year with the now-18s Teal squad, which was invited to the USA Volleyball Girls 18s Junior National Championship later this month in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The regular commute to Florida for practice and matches was eased, somewhat, when her grandparents moved to Jacksonville at the same time. It’s nice to have relatives nearby.
“It was a big ol’ coincidence,” Torrin said. “They were looking all over Florida, all over Georgia. It’s 15 minutes away (from the volleyball club). It was the best fit for them.”
Back home in Savannah, Higginbotham was part of four highly successful seasons under head coach Lauren Lord at SAA.
“We congratulate Torrin Higginbotham on the incredible achievement of committing to play volleyball at the collegiate level,” Lord wrote in correspondence with Prep Sports Report. “She is a force to be reckoned with on the court. She has incredible fundamentals for volleyball that shined throughout her four years at SAA.”
The Panthers went 30-4 overall, 13-0 in Area 3-3A and advanced to the second round of the Class 3A state playoffs in Torrin’s freshman year in 2021.
SAA was 40-5, 16-0 in Area 3-2A and a Class 2A state semifinalist in 2022, then was 33-9, 7-0 area in a return trip to the semis her junior year.
Big-impact players such as her sister and Abbey Kate Daugherty moved on each year due to graduation, and others had to step up, Torrin said.
Last season, the Panthers went 28-15, 7-0 in Area 3-2A and played for a state volleyball title for the first time – also a first for Savannah public schools. Higginbotham had 32 kills in the four-set win over Columbus High in the semifinals.
“I really, really wanted that win and felt really good after that win,” she said. “Art schools don’t have the reputation of being the most athletic or competitive. I was really proud of us getting past that hump, getting past the (semifinals). It was a really big win for us.”
Though SAA fell to Morgan County in the state finals, Higginbotham finished an exceptional season leading the Panthers with 427 kills, 3.9 kills per set, 1,163 attack attempts, a hitting percentage of .257 percent and a serving percentage of .949. She was second with 75 aces, 312 digs and 513 receptions.
Lord noted that Higginbotham went over 1,000 kills en route to setting the school career record this season.
“We couldn't be prouder of the hard work, dedication and passion she has put into the game,” Lord wrote. “This next step in her journey is a testament to her skill, determination and the countless hours she's spent improving. We're excited to see all that she will accomplish at California State University, Bakersfield.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy Savannah Arts Academy & Instagram Kim Obiala
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