DACULA, GA. - Lions Arena was filled with a plethora of great sounds on Tuesday, Aug. 26, when the Hebron Christian Academy volleyball team swept both 6A's Mill Creek and 3A's reigning state champion Jefferson two sets to none.
Volleyballs striking the hardwood, official whistles howling, and fans cheering after every point. Yes, there were plenty of sounds in Lions Arena on Tuesday night, as Hebron asserted its dominance on both sides of the ball.
The Lions started the evening with a 25-17, 25-14 sweep of Mill Creek's Hawks, which many would think of as a solid win over a larger opponent. However, the Lions weren't satisfied with their play in that match, and made the necessary adjustments against the Dragons.
"I think they realized that they weren't very happy with [the win over Mill Creek], they know that," head coach Taylor Davis said of his players. "They know our standard, and the sloppiness that we kind of presented was pretty disappointing in that game, not the score but just how we played. They responded better than I even anticipated, and [I'm] pretty pleased with how they got after it, just the cleanliness of our play."
The Lions certainly showed their drive to play better against Jefferson, as they quickly took the first set by a whopping differential of 25-6.
In that set, Hebron came out firing, going on a 14-2 run to start. Junior middle hitter Jade Howard and junior outside hitter Addison Griffin sparked the Lions with a block to make the score 7-1. From there, they didn't look back, ultimately claiming the set by nearly 20 points.
Howard and Griffin led the team with three kills each in that set. Junior outside Ashley Troxell got in on the action with two kills, while senior Gaëlle Gerome had one.
Also on Tuesday, Gerome announced her verbal commitment to Lee University, where she will continue her academics and her volleyball career.
"I feel extremely blessed to be a part of a program like that [Lee]. The moment that I stepped into the gym, it felt like a place that I wanted to be," Gerome said. "To be a part of that small percentage of people who get to play at the next level, it's honestly … really a blessing."
Gerome is the third member of this year's team to commit to a collegiate program. She joins fellow senior Aubrey Cowart [Georgia College and State University] and Troxell [Troy University]
"That's a lot of hard work. I got to work with Gaëlle when she was in middle school, and to see the progression that she has made, she has 100-percent earned that ability to play at the next level," Davis said. "Lee University, it's a great school. I saw a huge change in her physically this year. Last year she was a leader, and did a lot of things verbally, but she now has matched that with her ability to be in every point, that's what I've been most pleased with."
Gerome and the Lions carried their momentum from the 19-point win in Set 1 against Jefferson into the second. With a 4-2 lead early on, they amped up their attack and went on an 11-4 run to take a 15-6 lead. Hebron held the lead for the remainder of the match, but the Dragons battled through the final point, going on a small run near the end to make it a more respectable deficit.
Griffin added five more kills in the final set, while Howard, Gerome and Cowart each had two. Gerome also ended the set with a bang, earning the match-sealing block.
Hebron had built up a large enough lead, that Davis was able to rotate a few new players in, giving them a well-deserved opportunity and his starters a rest.
While Jefferson slightly took advantage of the changes, there wasn't much drop-off when the subs came in, which Davis believed was a testament to Hebron's depth.
"We are super blessed … we have a ton of kids who commit their entire year to volleyball the entire year [and] get little minutes, and that's just the reality of how successful our team is and how deep we are this year. But, at the same time, there is a lot of humility that they all have and they look for opportunities to champion the next girl that comes in. So [I'm] pretty pleased with our bunch being able to understand their role, but understand the excitement of the next girl up."
