CUMMING, Ga. - The Hebron Christian Academy volleyball team is bound for the state championship once again! The top-seeded Lions defeated No. 5 Trinity Christian by way of a 3-0 sweep last Saturday, Oct. 25.
Hebron will prepare for a top-two match up with The Lovett School this Wednesday, Oct. 29 in the state title match at LakePoint in Emerson, Ga.
"Our goal is simply this — we want to be the best version of ourselves, and in October, we've looked that way, so I'm beyond pleased," said Hebron head coach Taylor Davis, who has won state titles with the Lions in 2014, 2019 and 2024.
With the win over Trinity Christian, the Lions have now won 40 matches in a row, and look to end their season on a 41-match winning streak.
Against the Lions of Trinity, Hebron got off to a quick start, taking the first set 25-15, and the second 25-9.
Trinity played a scrappy third set, and took the initial lead into the halfway mark of the final set, but Hebron battled back for a 25-16 set victory to clinch its spot in the championship.
"I think (Trinity), honestly, kind of threw out the playbook, and just went with something ... just played unabatedly, it didn't matter where they were on the court, they were just going to swing it. They were also serving really, really tough, so I think they just got more comfortable and they just went for it. You could tell, in set three, they presented their best product, and they were the team that we knew we could end up with, we just executed so well (in) set one and set two to really put them out of position to play well."
Ashley Troxell had 11 kills on .687 hitting with three aces and three digs, and Jade Howard had 13 kills on .750 hitting with two blocks to lead the Hebron attack. Addison Griffin contributed nine kills, five digs and an ace, and Gaëlle Gerome had seven kills on perfect hitting with three blocks.
Elle Walker (17 assists, two digs, two aces) and Eden Thao (16 assists, three digs) also fueled the offense, while Aubrey Cowart (three aces, three digs, one block) and K.K. Prentice (11 digs) were other key players in the win.
Now, the Lions turn their attention to a match, which many have been anticipating all year - Hebron vs Lovett.
"That's a big match that everyone has wanted to see," Davis said. "(Lovett) has got some unbelievable pieces, well-coached and I think the big thing for us is that we're going to have to execute, coming down to the little things. We're going to have to play perfect volleyball. That environment is very interesting, so I'm very pleased that we've already had 12 hours in the Rally Tournament over there. Our girls are a little bit more comfortable in that gym."
