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BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021
VOLLEYBALL PREVIEWS
Rebuilding Apalachee team hopes for enough growth to earn playoff spot
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barro wne wsj ournal. com
Even before last season began,
Apalachee volleyball coach Joey Alfonso
knew the 2021 campaign, which kicks off
this weekend, would be one of the most
challenging the program has had in recent
years.
The Wildcats graduated five starters —
including outside hitter Emily Crocker, one
of the program’s all-time greats — from a
2020 squad that reached the GHSA Class
5A Elite Eight and return only a couple
of players with substantial varsity expe
rience. The issue is compounded by low
er feeder-program numbers that resulted
from the Barrow County School System’s
decision not to have middle school sports
last year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
And the growing pains have been evident
this summer as the Wildcats lost 18 of 20
warmup matches leading up to the season.
But even with those early struggles, Al
fonso remains hopeful that his team, which
is scheduled to play 25 matches before it
opens Region 8-AAAAA play at Clarke
Central on Sept. 16, can find its footing in
the first month of the season and compete
for a fifth consecutive state playoff berth
— even if the performance doesn’t reach
the level of excellence of the past three
seasons that saw the Wildcats go 125-29
with two region titles and the quarterfinal
appearance last fall.
“We’re a very young team with a fair
ly inexperienced lineup.” said Alfonso,
whose team will open its regular season
Saturday, Aug. 14, when it hosts the annu
al daylong Northeast Georgia Queen of the
Court tournament. “We’ve always had a lot
of experience and talent at the top and had
a phenomenal three years. But now we’re
just very young. We could start two soph
omores and a freshman this year, and three
of our six sophomores have never played
volleyball so they’re learning the game.
“But we’ve got some potential. We’ve
shown marked improvement, but there’s
got to be a lot more growth.”
Among the returning Wildcats who
started or saw significant playing time last
year will be junior outside hitter Kathryn
Massey, sophomore hitter/setter Megan
Crocker and senior middle hitter/blocker
Julianna Agbenou. Massey started most
of Apalachee’s matches in the middle as a
sophomore but is shifting to the outside,
while Crocker will be counted more heavi
ly on the offensive end, Alfonso said.
“The way we have our offense set up,
when you struggle passing, like we do,
it’s hard to set up (shots) in the middle,”
Alfonso said. “With these girls, it’ll be a
matter of how much they’re able to handle
the pressure (moving to the outside).”
Apalachee also hopes to see some con
tributions from senior setter Anna Keller,
junior right-side hitter/setter Aubri Mc
Ginnis and sophomore middle Lily Webb,
while Alfonso said freshman middle Alys-
sa Evans has the potential to develop into
one of the program’s best players.
“We’ve moved some girls around, and
we’ll probably be running a lot of different
lineups out there to find the right match
ups,” Alfonso said. “Again, it’s a matter of
how some of the girls handle the extra load
being put on them and how they respond to
early failures.
“But I'll say this. It’s one of the best
groups of girls we’ve had. Carrying 15 can
be tough. That’s a lot to have (on a ros
ter). but if any group can handle it, it’s this
one.”
Alfonso said he and assistant Morgan
Vandergriff. a long-time presence in the
program who played for Apalachee and
is now in her fourth year as an assistant,
saw encouraging signs from the Wildcats
over the course of their summer schedule.
That included a match in which they took
a set from what he describes as a deep and
talented Winder-Barrow team, a day after
being swept and blown out by the Bull-
doggs. And he hopes they can build off
their progress to make a run at nabbing
at least the No. 4 seed in a tough Region
8 that is led by defending region champ
Greenbrier, which lost just one main play
er off a quarterfinal team. Jackson County
and Loganville also are shaping up to have
strong seasons, Alfonso said.
“There’s been improvement, and if we
can play well against teams like Wind
er with their talent depth and ability, and
learn to compete, we could be in pretty
good shape.” Alfonso said. “Right now,
we’re trying to play catch-up. But if some
of our girls can develop into the role play
ers we think they can be, then next year we
could be in good shape. We’ll see where it
goes. I’m excited about it.
“If we can make it to state this year, I’ll
feel like we’ll have really developed these
players to achieve that great accomplish
ment.”
Bethlehem Christian coach sees team flexibility, unity as strengths
By Scott Thompson
sthompson@barrownewsjournal.com
The 2020 season began with un
certainty and ended abruptly for
the Bethlehem Christian Acade
my volleyball team, as COVID-19
cases kept the Knights from com
peting in the state playoffs after
they had qualified for the tourna
ment.
That premature conclusion
to last year is in part fueling the
Knights this season, coach Karen
Carlyle said, as they make a run
at a GISA Region 4 title and look
to qualify for the eight-team Class
AAA state tournament in October.
“Our goal is to win a region title
this year, period. And I truly be
lieve it is 100-perce possible,” said
Carlyle, whose team was sched
uled to open its regular season
Tuesday, Aug. 10, at Cedar Shoals
with a pair of matches against the
Jaguars and Lake Oconee Acade
my. “We just have to keep our fo
cus on the goal and not get caught
up in the little things that can
happen on the court. This year,
we plan to finish strong. Honest
ly, there’s no other option for this
team. They are hungry for a title
and are willing to do whatever is
needed to get one.”
BCA returns only two starters
this year, but Carlyle still likes the
makeup of the team, pointing to
the flexibility of several players to
move around at different positions
on the court and the fact that most
of the Knights joined club teams
in the offseason to gain more play
ing experience.
“(Their) getting their hands on
a volleyball in the offseason has
been huge,” Carlyle said. “There is
a change in our program this year.
More girls are becoming invested
in volleyball and understanding it
takes work in the offseason to be
successful. (And) we have an ex
tremely talented JV team, which
makes the future bright for the
VolleyKnights.”
On the varsity this year, Carlyle
said she is expecting a big year
from a pair of strong junior outside
hitters in Amy Davison and Kate
Broom. She said that sophomore
setter Merrit Meaders put together
a solid offseason, freshman Anna
Claire Adolphson has solidified
a spot in the starting lineup, and
junior Sydney Harrison has im
proved her all-around game while
senior libero Elbe Jones will lead
the Knights’ defensive efforts.
Elsewhere on the roster, seniors
Grace Fort and Gracie Wall are in
their second year of playing vol
leyball and have made progress,
while juniors Zoey Prather and
Daley Browning and freshman
Shae Britt all will be counted on
to rotate in with playing time.
Carlyle likes her team’s chances
at having a successful year because
of the improvement she has seen
in the strength of its attacks on of
fense, along with a heavy focus on
defense and receiving serves and
shots. Ultimately, she said, team
unity may be the Knights’ biggest
strength this fall.
This is probably one of the
closest teams I have ever coached,
and it shows on the court,” Car
lyle said. “They are learning to
trust each other and keep each
other up when on the court. They
are playing for each other and not
just for themselves. My players
know their gifts come straight
from God and whatever we do,
we do for His honor for all He has
given us.”
BCA’s next scheduled match
is Thursday, Aug. 12, when it
is set to host Putnam County at
5:30 p.m.
Roundup continued from IB
Sapp allowed two runs
on seven hits with a walk
and four strikeouts to get
the win.
PIERCE COUNTY 9,
APALACHEE 1
(5 INNINGS)
Pierce County jumped
on Apalachee starter
Autumn Matherly early
Saturday afternoon with
four runs in the bottom of
the first — on a three-run
homer and bases-loaded
walk — and didn’t look
back.
The Bears put up four
more runs in the second
on the strength of another
three-run blast and added
one more in the third.
Apalachee’s lone run
came in the top of the
third on an RBI single by
Trudel.
HEBRON CHRISTIAN
7, BCA 6
Bethlehem Christian
Academy nearly pulled
off a road victory Mon
day, Aug. 9, in its regu
lar-season opener and the
head coaching debut of
Chandler Pentecost, but
the Knights couldn’t hold
a three-run lead in the
bottom of the seventh as
Hebron Christian Acad
emy pushed across four
runs for a 7-6 victory in
Dacula.
The Lions (2-0) en
tered the final frame
trailing 6-3, but quick
ly loaded the bases with
no one out against BCA
starter Grayson Meeks
with a double, single and
walk before another sin
gle trimmed the deficit to
6-4.
The Knights got the
first out of the inning
when first baseman
Mycah Baker fielded
a ground ball and cut
the lead runner down at
home.
A bases-loaded walk
made followed to make it
6-5 before Meeks got the
second out on a shallow
pop out to center fielder
Audrey Fry. But BCA
shortstop Hannah Still
couldn’t come up with a
grounder off the bat of
Hebron’s Rory Byrd, al
lowing the tying and win
ning runs to come across.
After both teams ex
changed runs in the first
inning, BCA built a 3-1
lead in the third on an
RBI single by Meeks and
sacrifice fly by Baker
that chased home Addi
son Gurcules.
The Knights extend
ed their cushion to 6-1
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in the fourth when Sam
Ends led off with a sin
gle and eventually came
around to score on a steal
of home before back-
to-back RBI doubles by
Still and Fry. The Lions
scratched out a pair of
runs in the bottom of the
fourth on an RBI triple
and RBI groundout.
Still and Meeks had a
pair of hits and an RBI
apiece to lead the Knights
offensively.
BCA (0-1) is scheduled
to be back in action Tues
day, Aug. 17, when it
hosts Brentwood School
at 4:30 p.m.
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