After two losses to start the season, Jacksonville Christian Academy Head Coach Scott Morgan made a change that led to six straight wins for his young volleyball team. Morgan moved setter Chelsea Smith the only senior on the team to outside hitter and back row passer and it has made a big difference. Couple that with the improved play of Katy Miller and Lindsay Huggins and you have a team that has to be reckoned with.
The Thunder went into the Donoho Classic last weekend with a record of 8-2 and faced three teams that were all ranked in the state and the defending state champion. Even though JCA took three losses at the tournament, they were never out of any game and gained a lot of self-confidence. The Thunder came right back on Monday night and took wins against Coosa Christian and a big area win against Faith Christian to give them an 11-5 season record.
One of the leaders on the team this year is sophomore Katy Miller. Miller is improving each game with a patented jump serve. “She played with the jump serve last year about 75 per cent of the time,” said Morgan. “This year I just let her go with it and she has been getting better and better as we’ve gone through the season. She’s been striking the ball real well and she’s not making a lot of service errors.”
In a match against Ragland last week with the score tied at 13-13, Miller took over, serving the next 12 points for the win.
Equally impressive against Ragland was junior middle hitter Lindsey Huggins. “She’s another one that has been getting better,” said Morgan. “I used her as a weak side hitter and outside hitter last year and moved her to middle this year.” In the 25-13, 25-18 win over Ragland Huggins accounted for six kills in a 6-for-6 performance and had two blocks. JCA also defeated Coosa Christian 25-2, 25-7 in a tri-match held at JCA.
Morgan feels that Huggins came into her own a couple of days earlier in a very competitive match against Cedar Bluff that the Thunder pulled out 25-22, 9-25, 25-19, 26-24. “In probably the best match we have played all year Lindsey had an outstanding game,” said Morgan. “She was the team leader in kills and blocks. She has been timid in the past at the net but she seems to have gotten past that and has exploded in the last couple of weeks.”
Against Cedar Bluff Lindsey led the team with 7 kills, with Miller adding 6 kills and Bethany Bridges 5 kills.
Another surprise for Morgan has been the play of Smith. Behind 6-10 in the first game of the match with Cedar Bluff, Smith served six in a row to put her team up 12-10 and they never relinquished the lead.
Entering the Donoho Classic with an 8-2 record the Thunder had cautious high hopes for the tournament. While they were playing well, they had to face Parkway Christian, ranked 7th in the state in 1A, Donoho, ranked 9th, Holy Spirit ranked 8th and defending state champion Spring Garden.
The Thunder played well against Parkway Christian but went down in defeat 25-18, 25-14. JCA rebounded beating Spring Garden for the first time in the school’s history 25-20, 25-20. Huggins led with 6 kills and Kendra Whitehead had five assists.
Against Donoho the Thunder put forth a scrappy performance led by middle hitter Miller who refused to let the ball touch the ground. Miller brought her team back from an 18-11 deficit to 18-17 before Donoho pulled away to win the match 25-21, 25-17.
In the final match against Holy Spirit, the eventual tournament winner, the Thunder lost 25-12, 25-18.
Monday night the Thunder jumped on the winning wagon again as they downed Coosa Christian 25-8, 25-8 and in an area match-up beat Faith Christian in four games 25-12, 19-25, 26-24, 25-21. In the third game with her team down 23-17, Smith served six straight points to tie up the game at 23 all. Faith went ahead 24-23 before Bridges served three straight to give her team the 26-24 win.
Huggins led with six kills and five blocks. Miller added four kills and Kandace Postell helped out with eight aces.
Morgan is proud of the way his team is maturing, with only one senior on the team. Tenth graders Whitehead and Taylor B Walker have taken over at the setter position.
“We seem to be getting to where we are more balanced,” explained Morgan. “It’s surprising a bit that we are where we are but the girls seem to be growing up in a hurry. We are cutting out some of the mistakes and have a better serving percentage.”
