Clarke Central High School seniors Flora Lechtreck (left) and Sandra Barcenas (right) stand in the New Gym after their game against Buford on Sept. 25. According to JV volleyball coach Lisa Hill, the JV and varsity teams made great strides this season. “Compared to last year, both teams were a lot more successful. It’s hard to say what happens next year, there might be new people that move in, there might be people that move away, so I try to just stay focused on this school year,” Hill said. Photo by Luna Reichert
Clarke Central High School Varsity and JV volleyball teams both ended their season on Oct. 2 following the teams’ loss to Buford High School and Loganville High School.
The Clarke Central High School Varsity and JV volleyball teams both lost to Buford High School and Loganville High School on Oct. 2, resulting in the end of the CCHS volleyball season.
JV volleyball coach Lisa Hill feels that her team played well against Buford, even though the team didn’t end up winning.
“We went toe to toe with (Buford). We were up 24-21, but we ended up losing last minute. So, for me, competing with the best team in the region kind of shows how competitive we were,” Hill said.
Neither the Varsity or JV players made it to state, Hill is proud of her players and sees potential in them to make significant improvements.
“As girls get older and as they play club in the off-season, they only improve. They only get a higher volleyball IQ and they get better at their positions,” Hill said. “Considering most of our JV team was freshmen, I think we have a lot of room to grow and get better as a whole program.”
JV player Zaili Gantt, a freshman, looks forward to improving next season.
“One of my main goals is to make varsity. I started playing with varsity a little bit towards the end of the season, and so I want to make varsity. I also just want to advance my skills. I guess diversify them too, start to learn different techniques and stuff like that,” Gantt said.
Closing off the season, Hill is sad that the 2018 season is over because of her strong relationship with the team, but is excited to see how far they go in the future.
“This was hands-down some of my favorite girls that I’ve worked with, ever. They were really positive and they really came together as a team that I haven’t really experienced since I played myself,” Hill said.