The volleyball team reached the Elite Eight before falling to Marist 3-1, ending its 2025 season. This is the furthest the Knights have ever progressed in the playoffs.
“You can’t have a strong team if you don’t work together,” head coach Martha Jones said. “Our girls played great together. We made it to the Elite Eight, which we’ve never done before, and even though we lost to Marist, the school [had] never been that far.”
During the match on Oct. 21 against Marist, the Knights managed to win the second set. Marist went on to win the state championship.
“Every girl gave it their all and truly played their best,” senior co-captain Brennan Fritts said. “I’ve never felt prouder than when we won the second set, and if we had to lose, I was glad it was to the state champions.”
The Knights finished the regular season second in Region 4-AAAA with a region record of 6-1 and an overall record of 35-11. This placement allowed the team to qualify for the playoffs as a No. 2 seed, ultimately leading them to the Elite Eight.
“All of us have been working hard the whole season, so I wasn’t surprised when we made it all the way to the Elite Eight,” senior co-captain Lucy Konisky said.
Assistant coach Rafael Silva was hired this year. Together, Jones and Silva worked to integrate many new drills into the program.
“At the beginning, we did a lot of passing, setting and control,” Silva said. “It was huge for the girls. They got so much better. Then we did a lot of 6-on-6 volleyball drills to get practice with positioning, and that helped a lot, too.”
The team played many non-region matches throughout the season against top-ranked teams such as Lovett, Walton and Woodward Academy. Fritts credits their hard schedule to the overall success of the team in the state tournament.
“The set victory against Lovett, even though we didn’t win the game, gave us a new sense of confidence that we carried with us to state,” Fritts said. “That let us win that game against North Oconee during the Sweet Sixteen round, which was one of the best high school volleyball moments of my life. It felt as though all the work we had poured into this team finally paid off. Even though we did not make it past the Elite Eight, I am so proud of this team and all of the girls for making it as far as we did.”
Sophomore Estelle Leege said that the team grew closer together this season.
“The team’s chemistry definitely got stronger throughout the season,” Leege said. “Some of us sophomores became close with the seniors, and I felt as though we all knew each other pretty well.”
Fritts said this bond was evident both on and off of the court and that the camaraderie played a key role in the Knights performances during games.
“This year, everyone really enjoyed playing and talking to each other,” Fritts said. “This sense of community allowed us to work together extremely well as a team.”
The team only had three seniors this season, all of which were captains. With two fewer senior captains than last year, Fritts said younger players had more leadership opportunities.
“Since we only had a few seniors, everyone kind of stepped up,” Fritts said. “We [seniors] led the huddles, warmups and stuff, but the sophomores and juniors definitely shared a role in leadership.”
Konisky said she values the resilience and determination her teammates showed throughout the season. She said that although the team fell short in the playoffs, the Knights continued to fight until the end, finishing the season on a high note with a historic run.
“Our biggest strength was giving every ball everything,” Konisky said. “The energy was super high most of the time. Obviously, we had our moments, but when the energy was up it felt like we were unstoppable.”
*Brennan Fritts is a member of the Southerner staff
