JHS Volleyball Soars to New Heights in Playoff Run

Jordan's High School varsity volleyball team made it to the semifinals of the state playoffs–the furthest the team has gotten since winning the state championship in 1990. The semifinals, also called the regional championship, ended in a 3-0 away game loss to West Forsyth three weeks ago.

Three wins into the playoffs, having previously beaten Ardrey Kell, the team was looking to make this game a fourth consecutive win. The first set of the game ended, with Jordan trailing 17-25. The second set was not nearly as close, though, with Jordan losing 7-25. Jordan was able to pick up their game for the third set, losing by a mere 2-point difference, but, unfortunately, that was not enough, and the match ended in the 3-0 loss to West Forsyth.

During the West Forsyth game some of Jordan's strongest players included Tamari Hill, a senior at Jordan, who had a total of 7 kills. Natalia Rosa, the team's setter, also proved to be a valuable player, with her 12 assists, as well as Ella Baggett, a senior captain for the Jordan team who “controlled things from the service line” according to Max Preps with her 2 aces.

Jordan had just come off of a big win against Ardrey Kell in round three. Caydin Hylton, a sophomore on the team, expressed how that win was a “game filled with tears, and [the team] were all just so ecstatic to make it to another round.” She believes the team’s strong will was one of the factors that propelled the team forward to get to this game, stating the game was the "highlight of the playoffs [for her].”

While the team didn't make it past regionals, their run was a victory in itself. Tamari Hill expressed how “in the beginning we didn't think we would make it past the first round.” She made it clear though, that as the team continued working hard throughout the season with their new coach, their confidence grew. This confidence grew not because of luck, but as Tamari expresses because “[the team] went so far because [they] loved and supported each other the whole way.” This team worked extremely hard to make it as far as they could and in doing so were met with a plaque for the trophy case, and a team dynamic that will hopefully be carried through future Jordan volleyball generations.