Top performances: How Richmond Hill has become one of top volleyball teams in Savannah area
When Kaitlin Bean was hired as the new Richmond Hill High School volleyball coach last May, she knew she was taking over a talented squad full of potential.
Richmond Hill was coming off a season when the Wildcats reached the GHSA Class 6A Sweet 16. After making the move up to Class 7A, the Wildcats are off to a 27-3 start and have established themselves as one of the top teams in the Greater Savannah area. The Wildcats went 5-1 and won the Silver Bracket in the Lovett Block Party Invitational on Saturday.
On Sept. 20, Richmond Hill won a tri-match with Savannah Christian and Effingham County as the Wildcats edged SCPS 25-21, 28-30, 15-11 and the Rebels 25-23, 20-25, 15-11.
"Our season has been awesome and I'm so lucky to work with this group of girls," said Bean, a former libero at Ashland University in her home state of Ohio. "We've got a lot of natural talent, but the biggest factor in our success is that we never get complacent."
Calvary Day edges Savannah Christian in battle of rivals: Calvary Day and Savannah Christian already look playoff ready after hard-fought rivalry clash
The Wildcats' only losses have come against Chattahoochee (25-5), Savannah Arts (24-2) and St. Vincent's Academy, which has split a pair of matches with the Wildcats. Richmond Hill isn't currently ranked among Class 7A teams by Score Atlanta, but it is 2-0 against SCPS, which is No. 2 in Class 3A.
"We have a really tough schedule which challenges us every time we step on the court," Bean said. "We've got great senior leadership that lights a fire with our team."
Bean said her three captains — junior setter Gwyneth Harper, senior middle blocker Akira Burt and senior libero Rory Schuler — have played key roles in the team's success.
Harper recently notched her 1,000th career assist, Burt has committed to play at Georgia State and Schuler is committed to play at USC Aiken.
Junior Savannah Davis leads the team in kills with 182, and her classmate Carson Reeves has been a strong presence at the net with Burt.
"We've got a lot of experience, and we're looking forward to playing well in our region (1-7A)," Bean said.
The Wildcats are 2-0 in region play with big matches against Colquitt County, Lowndes, and Valdosta coming up this week.
Benedictine and Johnson with big wins Friday: What important wins mean for Benedictine, Johnson and Beach football teams
— Teams from the Greater Savannah area that are currently ranked by Score Atlanta include Savannah Christian, the perennial Coastal Empire power that made the move up from Class A Private to Class 3A this season.
The Raiders (16-11 and 6-0 in Region 3-3A according to MaxPreps) are led by Maggie Byrd and Maggie Kyriakides, with Mary Brit Tallevast doing most of the setting. Sophomore Remy Thompson leads the squad in digs. SCPS is set to host Hilton Head Christian on Tuesday, before a tri-match Thursday at region rival St. Vincent's where the Raiders will face SVA and another area power in Savannah Arts.
— St. Vincent's also made the move up from Class 1A Private to 3A, and the Saints were No. 9 in the latest Score Atlanta rankings. SVA (19-8, 6-0 in Region 3-3A) is led by senior Mattie Lynch, who recently set the school record for career blocks. She also leads the team in kills, with senior Alana Beddow second. Senior Belle Jackson leads the team in digs and aces, and junior Mary Sophia Fischer runs the show well at setter.
— Savannah Arts moved down a classification from 3A to 2A this year, but the Panthers have taken their game up to a higher level as they are No. 3 in the latest Score Atlanta poll.
The Panthers' (24-2, 12-0 in Region 2-3A) only losses have come against Milton and Effingham County, a team they beat in a previous meeting. SA has wins over Richmond Hill and two against St. Vincent's.
A star-studded lineup includes Abbey Kate Daugherty and the Higginbotham sisters — junior Finn and sophomore Torrin, who like Daugherty, are both 6-feet tall. Sophomore Lillie Coffey has emerged as one of the top setters in the area.
The Panthers are rolling through region play. They face a tough challenge Thursday night at St. Vincent's with a tri-meet against SVA and Savannah Christian.
— Islands was at No. 10 in the latest Score Atlanta poll in Class 4A. The Sharks (19-2, 8-0 in Region 3-4A) have losses against Richmond Hill and Savannah Christian, whom they came back to beat for the first time in school history in their second meeting.
Islands is led by outside hitter Veronica Sierzant, who has committed to play at Syracuse. The 6-foot-3 senior is closing in on a career milestone of 1,000 kills. She might reach the mark Tuesday night, Sept. 27, when Islands hosts The Habersham School and St. Vincent's.
Aislinn Lanigan is a standout senior setter for the Sharks, who have been getting solid play from Kate Bossler, Delaney Gordon and Maya Swenson.
— Savannah Country Day had a milestone win on Sept. 23 when the Hornets ended a nine-year losing streak against Calvary Day with a hard-fought four-set win. SCD prevailed 25-23, 19-25, 25-23, 25-22.
Top volleyball players to watch: The top volleyball players to watch from the Greater Savannah area for the 2022 season
The entire team assisted in ending the losing streak. Lilla Brennan had seven kills, 12 assists and three aces. Outside hitters M.D. Sumner and Mason Howington had 14 and nine kills, respectively. Harris Stone had 33 service receptions and six digs.
SCD is 8-12 overall and 4-1 in Region 3-3A play.
— The Habersham School, which has captured four straight GAPPS state titles, won a big region match last week against Veritas Academy in four sets, 22-25, 25-9, 25-12, 25-13.
Pier Schneider led the Patriots with 14 kills, Brownette Olson had 11 and Kambria Settlemyer added 10. Addison Beaver had four aces and 20 digs, and Lucy Kelly dished out 32 assists with five aces. Habersham is now 10-16 overall and 4-0 in region play.
Cross country
Benedictine sophomore John Dodson rolled to a win at the Stinger Invitational at Savannah Christian on Wednesday, covering the 3.1-mile course in 17 minutes, 01.91 seconds.
Jenkins sophomore Leo Tedder was third in 17:57.23. Other locals in the top 10 included Calvary Day's Jackson Jones (fourth, 18:20.14) and Marshall Lego and Lyle Paquette of Savannah Arts, who were eighth and ninth in 18:59.28 and 19:03.26. Benedictine freshman Asher Herrin was 10th with a time of 19:04.06.
The Savannah Arts girls team continued in its dominating ways as the Panthers had five runners in the top 10.
Senior Margaret Wade won with a time of 18:24.73 and was followed by Ava Coffey (20:35.72) and Lyric Olson (21:21.87) in second and third. Elle Harward-Grant was fifth in 23:03.82, while Ava Thomas (23:44.77) and Anna Beth Baker (24:09.31) were seventh and eighth for the Panthers.
Calvary Day's Audrey Buck was ninth in 24:14.33, while St. Vincent's Ileana Scorza and Alden Groover were 10th and 11th with times of 24:22.97 and 24:34.60.
— The Habersham School Boys team repeated as GAPPS Cannonball 5K champions on Saturday at Middle Georgia State College.
The Patriots were led by freshman Daniil Phillips, who finished second with a time of 18:05, just ahead of sophomore Nick Aldrich, who was third in 18:09. They were followed by Tyson Harper (14th), Stephen Dusek (27th) and Henry Brooks (30th) in a field of 90 runners.
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: Richmond Hill High volleyball team emerges as one of Savannah's best
