HCHS middle hitter Ansley Hendrix is among the senior powerhouse players who have propelled the Lady Raiders through another winning season. (Daniel Purcell/Now Habersham)
The Habersham Central High School Volleyball Team secured their spot in the GHSA Class AAAAAA State Volleyball Championship tournament last night.
The Lady Raiders split their fortunes in matchups Thursday, Oct. 10, losing to Gainesville 0-2 (22-25, 20-25) and defeating Winder-Barrow 2-1 (12-25, 25-20, 15-8).
“Molly Butler, sophomore, and Maddie Chosewood, junior, came into the match against Winder and brought the spark we needed to turn things around. Molly served a few aces and played great defense, while Maddie also earned an ace and some amazing digs to ignite our team’s spirit,” says head coach Lindsey Herrin.
Coach Herrin says the team will spend next week preparing for the first round of the state tournament which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19.
“We aren’t sure where we will be playing yet, or who, but our goal is to be region champions and host it at home!” Herrin says.
The Lady Raiders are now 29-3 overall and 8-2 in the region after launching this season on a 20 game win streak.
The team will compete tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 12, at Apalachee High School to determine their bracket placement. They’ll face Lanier at 10 a.m. on the last day of region tournament competition.
“All season we have been saying, ‘It is not over yet’ and last night we proved that by earning a spot in the state playoffs,” says Lady Raiders assistant coach Savynna Smith. “I have always said, ‘Go Big or Go Home’ and the girls came back and did that last night. I’m so proud of each and every one of them! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season will hold for us.”
Player Stats
#3 Alexandra Shalikashvili – Senior, Outside Hitter
312 Kills, 0.305 hitting%, 10.7 kills/match = leads team in all of these areas
97% serve, 51 aces (leads team)
16 blocks, 227 digs (7.6/match)
#9 Sydney Brookshire – Senior, Libero
99.991% serve (leads team), 14 aces, (only 2 errors on 224 attempts)
331 digs (11.01/match)(leads team), 93% passing out of S/R (26 errors on 356 attempts)
#11 Ansley Hendrix – Senior, Middle Hitter
161 kills, 0.275 hitting%, 5.4 kills/match
48 aces (2nd best on team)
28 blocks, 122 digs (4.0/match)
#12 Rachel Smith- Senior, Setter
17 aces (93% serve), 13 kills
90 digs, 13 blocks
631 assists
#8 Madeline Koshuta – Freshman, Outside Hitter
15 aces (91% serve), 176 kills, 15 blocks, 85 digs
#7 Kelsey Anderson – Senior, Middle Hitter
44 kills, 25 blocks, 12 digs
#5 Haley Rice – Senior, Defensive Specialist
40 aces, 167 digs
#14 Maggie Cheek – Senior, Right Side Hitter
19 kills, 17 blocks, 17 digs
#16 Maddie Chosewood – Junior, Middle Hitter
7 aces, 52 kills, 23 digs, 6 blocks
