Volleyball
Varsity Girl's Volleyball
First State Playoff Birth in AIS Volleyball History
Believe, Exhilarating, Entertaining.” Three words team captain and all region player Ana De Olano used to describe this past volleyball season. It was a record-breaking season for the team, with a 22 wins and only 8 losses; they had the best season AIS volleyball has ever seen. The quality of their season did not stop there though, as mentioned, Ana De Olano received her second straight nomination to the All-Region team, as well as Coach Albright receiving the award for Best Coach of the Region. They were also the first volleyball team in AIS history to reach the state tournament. Here they had a hard fought game against a good team and some iffy refereeing, and played well, but, unfortunately, did not make it out of the first round.
The most inspiring thing about these girls is that through the highs and lows of the season, they always had fun and positives outlooks on the games that they were playing. During their final game, they were stuck with a group of referees who somehow always managed to call everything in favor of Athens Academy. This came as a surprise to and angered the large amount of fans that went out and supported the girls at Holy Innocents, the largest fan turnout of any of the schools that were playing. The girls on the other hand remained calm and ready to keep on playing; just missing out on the final set 25-23.
Finally, another high point in the girl’s season was senior night, with a pep rally and fun activities such as the varsity girls vs. the faculty, the varsity girls vs. the boys volleyball club, and the blackout by the fans. These games were simple warm-ups for the girls as they were preparing for their game against Whitfield. Each student wore black to the game, creating an intimidating atmosphere for the other team to play in. The black out, loud screams and intense play all contributed to the easy win, as Whitfield was routed, losing in two straight sets to our Lady Eagles. All in all, this 2008 varsity volleyball season has definitely been a season to remember.
