King building her GC brand in volleyball

Published 8:26 am Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Much like in the women’s soccer program in 2022, Abigail King had very little time for preseason work when she became the Georgia College & State University women’s volleyball coach in 2023. On the bright side, the program ran off a record eight wins in a row to begin her reign, but then the Bobcats only won six more times and just one time out of 12 matches in the Peach Belt Conference.

Since the middle of November, King had much more time – as in an entire offseason – to recruit and evaluate and promote what she wants to ultimately bring to the GCSU volleyball program. That new team for the 2024 season was exhibited for the first time this past weekend, and the Bobcats won three out of four matches in the Bobcat Classic at the Centennial Center.

King has a handful of pieces back from her inaugural roster, such as her leading setter and a senior middle blocker. She’s added five true freshmen and plucked out a prize from the transfer portal. Now, the Bobcats are out to prove they are much better than the fifth-best team of a five-team conference.

“I think it’s a bit more challenging this year,” said King, comparing work from this year to last. “Just because I have a lot of kids who don’t have a lot of in-game collegiate experience. Trying to get them in together and gel has been a challenge. I wish I was a spring sport, but we’ll make it work.”

But it was a fun time for King to sell what Georgia College has to offer.

“It’s in a location that’s desirable, especially for kids in this state,” she said. “It was nice to go out and have kids who really wanted to be here and really wanted to be a part of it. They love it. They thrive. I’m excited to continue it … obviously it’s an on-going process, and hopefully that excitement continues.”

King got junior setter Riese Johnson back after a season with 817 assists, 258 digs and 44 service aces. 6-4 senior middle blocker Brooke Roberts is back after making 75 total blocks in 2023 to go with 77 kills. Others who return are junior libero Alanis Bernis and hitters Rosa Fisher and Camryn Carlton.

“My veterans are so important,” said King. “Having Brooke come back as a fifth-year middle blocker. Kylie Hazzard’s another fifth-year who’s come back. They have done a great job welcoming in those new kids, setting the standards, setting the tone. Those new kids are pushing us to be better. It’s a good mix, a little more new than old, but it’s helping us.”

King is making sure that important setter position is well stocked as two freshmen are there to spell Johnson while Johnson helps them learn the tempo and the play sets King runs. King said Johnson too is learning and building her volleyball IQ while working with some new attackers.

GCSU volleyball is in fact without two of last year’s top four in kills. Filling in those spots are Sarah Pipping, a junior transfer from West Georgia originally from Forsyth Central and true freshman from Braselton Sierra Piland.

“(Pipping) was one … we played against West Georgia twice last year,” said King. “I was like, ‘I want her.’ It just so happened she decided to go in the portal. We had a conversation, and we got her here. She is going to be a great player for us.”

Piland, along with setter Sadie Parkerson and blocker Nya Warren, are three freshmen getting work in the Bobcat lineup already. King said that can be a “funky” dynamic on a college team, but their ceilings are quite high.

“Right now we are trying to limit those errors and communication lapses,” she said. “But they are going to pick up on it real quick. Sierra is definitely helping us. Nya is from Gray (Jones County) and a diamond in the rough kid. Don’t know how I got her, but she is going to be a beast for us.”

Maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that GCSU got the last-place spot in the Peach Belt preseason poll after last year’s results, but King said it still hurt the players.

“I’d rather be at the bottom because there is so much to go up from there,” she said. “You are the underdog. I think we are going to shock the conference with some of the kids we have and the differences we’ve been working on.”

King’s club opened up the 2024 season with two five-set thrillers on the opening day of the Bobcat Classic Friday at the Centennial Center.

The Bobcats dropped the first two sets to Southern Wesleyan University 27-25 and 25-21 before taking the final three sets by scores of 25-18, 26-24 and 15-13 to open the tournament.

GCSU split its first two sets with Albany State University with the Golden Rams taking the opening set 25-21 before Georgia College evened the contest at 1 with a 25-18 decision in set two. ASU reclaimed the lead with a 25-21 win in set three, but the Bobcats recorded the win with 26-24 and 15-12 results in the final two sets.

Pipping had 24 kills while Fisher posted 15 more kills in the Southern Wesleyan match. Johnson collected 33 assists, while Parkerson (18) and Bernis (12) also finished in double figures. Bernis tallied 26 digs, while Pipping and Johnson had 14 each. Warren had seven total blocks for the Bobcats.

Fisher led GCSU against Albany State with 19 kills, while Warren and Carlton had 10 apiece. Johnson led the Bobcats with 26 assists and 19 digs. Parkerson added 17 assists, while Bernis had 14 digs and Ella Harper collected 13. Warren posted five total blocks.

On Saturday, the Bobcats split a pair of matches on the final day of the Bobcat Classic.

The Bobcats dropped a 25-22, 25-23 and 25-18 decision to Lee University in the opener before defeating Young Harris College 25-18, 22-25, 25-18, and 27-25.

Pipping led the Bobcats with 12 kills against the Flames, while Carlton collected eight. Bernis paced Georgia College six service aces and 12 digs. Parkerson tallied 15 assists.

To beat Young Harris, Carlton paced GCSU with 14 kills and just three errors on 36 swings while Fisher had 11 kills on just 15 attacks for a .733 percentage. Parkerson distributed 25 assists, while freshman Lexi Baum posted 16. Bernis tallied a team-high 24 digs.