The Lady Raiders take the court today at 6 p.m. at Lanier High School against the winner of the Winder-Barrow/Dacula match. The 2016 season success has been a long time coming, as the team searches for a state playoff berth for the first time in over four years.
Habersham puts its 23-7 record and 7-3 region mark to the test tonight. Nothing is a given, but there’s definitely something special about coach Lindsay Herrin’s team.
“As long as we play our game tonight, we have an excellent chance of making it to the playoffs,” says Herrin. “If we stay in the winner’s bracket, and win one match, that guarantees us a top-four spot. However, our goal is to finish better than top four. We want to be champs!”
The team has great chemistry and is confident heading into the tournament.
“Our morale is good,” states Herrin. “I don’t think I’ve ever coached a team like this – a team where they want to win so badly. They want this for each other and to leave an even more impactful legacy than what they already will. Megan and I have encouraged them to have fun, play loose, and enjoy playing with each other because this team is special.”
The Lady Raiders are fresh off an emotional senior night against Winder and Gainesville. The girls defeated Winder in 25-16, 25-12.
“I was really proud of how the girls started the night with 2 dominant wins over Winder,” says Herrin. “We were firing on all cylinders and it was obvious that our team was ready to show up and play. Although we started slowly against Gainesville, we battled back and lost an extremely close second set.”
Senior Lainey Gosnell leads the team in kills (257) and blocks (77), and was named Area Co-MVP for the 2016 season. Teammate Natalie Thompson was named to the all area team as well, and is having a solid statistical season. Halle Black leads the team in digs with 304 digs and only 51 errors.
Gosnell’s Serve-Receive passing percentage is 86% on the season, with 120 serves received. She’s recorded 185 digs
and 23 aces (91% serving). Thompson’s 112 kills and Serve-Receive passing percentage of 85% has been crucial to this team’s succes, as she’s added 159 serves received, 59 solo blocks, 134 digs and 28 aces (95% serving).
