VHS volleyball cruises into 3rd Elite 8 showing

Long before there was a committee to pick four teams for a college football playoff, there was the GHSA volleyball committee to seed the Elite 8 of the state championship tournament.

Veterans High School’s Warhawks, for the third time in five years, put themselves in this committee’s hands – this year in Class AAAA – by sweeping Hampton High School 3-0 in Tuesday’s state second round.

“It’s awesome … definite accomplishment for the girls,” said head coach Nicole Miranda. “Looking back over the past few years: three area championships, two county championships, four Sweet 16s and now three Elite 8s.

“Sometimes the bracket’s been in our favor. This round wasn’t as tough as the first round. That was a big win for us. Our goal is the Final Four. They way they are coming together chemistry-wise, they are having a good time right now, and I’m happy to see it.”

Miranda referenced the match with Chestatee High on Oct. 15 at home. The Warhawks also swept this contest 3-0, but the sets were decided by six to nine points. Chestatee came from an area (8-AAAA) that has three teams in the Elite 8, including No. 1 ranked Buford.

Tuesday’s match, though, was pure domination with scores of 25-2, 25-6 and 25-11. That’s also a far cry from last year’s second-round encounter with Sandy Creek, which at that time was No. 2 from its area but also No. 2 in the state. Sandy Creek won on its road to the Final 4.

Veterans also faced Sandy Creek in its first Elite 8 showing. This year, it’s Sandy Creek one more time, this time in Tyrone as the No. 8 seed.

“The next round’s going to be really, really good competition,” said setter Bailey Rogers.

“I wish I knew what went into their thought process,” said Miranda about the GHSA committee. “We haven’t lost to a 4A opponent. We have some quality wins. Most of our losses were early when we were on the road. We were in every game, and most were in three games. Sometimes I’m afraid demographics plays into it.”

The coach expressed Tuesday, prior to the seedings announcement, that the Warhawks are willing to play anyone anywhere.

“I have a group of seniors who’ve been with me since 10th grade,” she said. “We’re going to go out swinging. Wherever we go, we’re going to play as hard as we can. I don’t doubt that a bit.”

Leading the new charge this fall is the senior Rogers, the program’s all-time leader in assists in addition to winning Player of the Year honors for Area 2-AAAA.

“It feels a lot better as a captain to help my team get to the Elite 8,” she said. “It’s a great feeling to win. I’m real excited for the next round.

“I’m proud of my accomplishments these past few years.”

No setter is complete, however, without fellow players to convert those sets into kills. While she could rely, in the past, on Jalyn Slaughter and Emily Osborn to score those points, this year Anna Nicholson, Madison Muser, Sarah Hockett and Allison Harbert gave her a slew of options inside and outside.

“It was great having Jalyn as a big hitter,” said Rogers. “But this year we’re an all-around good team. A new player, Anna, stepped into Jalyn’s position. I’m proud of where we’ve come from.”

Bailey passed up eight assists in the opening set of the Hampton match. It’s a set (25-2) with only three changes in service rotations for Veterans. Five kills from Bailey’s sets were scored by Musser, and Nicholson scored one time through Hampton’s blocking efforts.

Veterans went ahead 9-1 through a combination of three aces by Rogers and Carman Palmer plus Palmer’s dig taken by Rogers to assist Musser’s hit. Rogers would later assist Maris Guzman for an outside smash and sideout.

That put the final serve rotation in the hands of senior libero Darlyn Davis, who had three aces. With one point needed, she and Palmer hustled in the backcourt to keep the ball alive and lead to the closing point.

Palmer and Guzman saw more play on the court due to the absence of senior Erin Byars. She could not play due to illness.

Veterans served a pair of early aces in Game 2. Hampton put its first good set and kill combination together to stay within one point in the 11th rally. The Hornets – a program from a brand-new school in Henry County – showed their own hustle to keep the ball in play during the 12th rally, but that point went to Veterans thanks to Guzman.

That started the Warhawks on a run of nine straight with two points from Nicholson and Rogers’ kill from her setting position. Nicholson was too much for Hampton at the net with block after block, and two aces from Guzman closed the set out 25-6.

Set No. 3 began with seven in a row, three on Rogers aces. Musser went outside for a scoring sideout – her second kill in the set – giving serve to Davis. She notched two aces for 11-2, but as Miranda tried to substitute, a series of errors on Veterans’ part led to lead of only five, 14-9.

In the late stages of this set, Harbert gave Hampton plenty of problems up front, even scoring from a dig close to the net. Hockett, from the outside, smashed home the ending point.

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