Prep Highlights: Sierzant signs with Syracuse; Van Brunt headed to swim for Alabama

For as long as she can remember, Veronica Sierzant has dreamed of playing college volleyball at Syracuse. And the Islands senior has worked tirelessly to achieve her goal.

On Thursday, Sierzant's dream became reality as she put pen to paper and signed to play with the Orange in a ceremony at the Islands gym.

The 6-foot-3 Sierzant was the Savannah Morning News volleyball player of the year as a junior, and she is also a standout on the Sharks basketball, soccer and track and field teams. She is a two-time winner of the Hollis Stacy Award as the most versatile female high school athlete in Savannah, and has a chance to become the first three-time winner this spring. She was also named the Savannah Morning News overall girls athlete of the year last June.

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Sierzant gave an emotional speech thanking here family, coaches and teammates for helping her reach her goals. And after the ceremony, she showed a photo of herself from 10 years ago -- decked out in Syracuse gear.

"Today is really special for me, it's very fulfilling to know that I set a goal of playing for a Power 5 program so long ago, and now I'm getting the chance to sign with my dream school," Sierzant said. "My time at Islands has showed me that anything is possible. It's a public school, where not a lot of athletes had been signing with colleges -- but we've shown that if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything you want."

Islands volleyball coach Jessica Decker sang the praises of the senior, who has meant so much to the program.

"I'm so proud of her because she didn't become great overnight -- she put in so much work to get where she is today," Decker said. "She is traveling to Jacksonville for club volleyball eight months out of the year and still plays high school volleyball, basketball, soccer and track and field -- while keeping up with her grades and all her other extra curricular activities. This is a huge accomplishment signing with Syracuse."

Sierzant maintains an 'A' average in the classroom and plans to major in finance at Syracuse. She said she hopes to reach her goal of 1,000 rebounds in basketball, after reaching the same milestone for points in basketball and kills in volleyball already. She is hoping to win a region title in basketball and is striving to win the Hollis Stacy Award one more time.

Van Brunt signs with Alabama

Gaby Van Brunt of St. Andrew's established herself as one of the top swimmers in Georgia before starting her high school career with the Lions -- and she has been proving herself ever since.

Van Brunt set her future in motion on Nov. 30 when the senior signed to swim for the University of Alabama in a ceremony in the St. Andrew's gym.

Van Brunt has been selected as the Savannah Morning News girls swimmer of the year the last two seasons. She competed in the Olympic Trials in 2021.

Van Brunt commits to AlabamaSt. Andrew's swimming star Gaby Van Brunt announces commitment to SEC program

She was receiving interest from powerhouse national programs like Indiana, Georgia, Ohio State and Auburn, but felt a connection with Alabama from the start. She said sharing the signing with her friends and family was a special moment.

"I got a little bit emotional," Van Brunt said in a phone interview from a meet in Atlanta a few days after signing. "I had a close friend whose father died that day, so that changed the vibe of the ceremony because we were all thinking about their family. But I was still proud to have accomplished my goal.

"Alabama was the perfect fit for me. The coaching staff valued me as a person more than as a swimmer and made that connection, which meant a lot to me."

Van Brunt has won all three events she entered in the GIAA state meet the last two seasons, setting state records in each one along the way. She said she hopes to qualify for the SEC and NCAA meets and help the Crimson Tide squad in any way possible. She said St. Andrew's has helped prepare her to become a student athlete in college with its tough academics. She plans to major in sports psychology.

Williams headed to South Carolina State

Aaliyah Williams of Islands said when she was younger she thought she was too small to reach her goal of playing softball at the college level.

But the Shark senior has proven herself to be a big-time player in her career on the diamond with Islands. On Dec. 7, Williams signed to play with South Carolina State in a ceremony on campus.

Williams helped lead the Sharks to the Class 4A Final Four this season as she was named the Region 3-4A Pitcher of the Year. She had a 6-5 record with 10 saves and an ERA of 1.49 and hit .459 with an OPS of 1.175 with 37 runs, 18 RBIs, five doubles, four triples and a pair of home runs, while stealing 35 bases in 38 attempts.

"I chose South Carolina State because it's an HBCU and I wanted to have that experience around my culture, that was one of the biggest factors," said Williams, who will be pitching and playing outfield at SCS. "Going to Islands has prepared me for college because I've had teachers who have worked to help me academically, and I've learned to adapt to change with three coaches in the last four years. My best memory was making the Final Four this year, because nobody thought we could get there."

Islands coach Kendal Olinger said Williams was instrumental in the Sharks' playoff run.

"She's definitely a team leader and was the one who always got the girls pumped up," Olinger said. "She has that passion for the game -- for Aaliyah it's not just a sport, it's a lifestyle."

Sindahl signs with East Georgia

From the first day he set foot on the baseball field at Islands, Charlie Sindahl earned the reputation as a grinder with a true love for the game.

A corner outfielder and pitcher for the Sharks, he is a strong hitter who hits close to 90 mph on the radar gun with his fastball.

On Wednesday, Sindahl realized a childhood dream as he signed to play college baseball at East Georgia State College, a junior college program in Swainsboro.

"Charlie has good gap to gap power and he's been improving as a pitcher every year," Islands coach Brandon Collins said. "He's a good leader and strong in the classroom -- the kind of kid you never have to worry about. He's so dedicated to the game -- he'll text me videos of him hitting in the driveway at 10 p.m. He'll do whatever it takes to succeed."

Sindahl said the JUCO route is perfect for him.

"East Georgia has the reputation of breeding good players who go on to play Division I ball," he said. "And that's my goal. Playing for Islands with Coach Collins has helped me develop as a player and a person to get ready to play college ball."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Sierzant signs with Syracuse volleyball; Van Brunt to swim at Alabama