Leader of the 'Pack captures top honor

Volleyball season has come and gone with another year full of action.

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Greenbrier distanced itself from the rest of the public school pack this season. The Lady Wolfpack didn't lose a single match to an in-county rival and went the deepest into the state playoffs once again. Their overall mark of 45-6-1 shattered the previous school record by five wins.

Augusta Prep claimed another GISA Class AAA state championship. The state title match played at Augusta Prep on Oct. 27 boasted more fans than I've ever seen at a single volleyball match since I took this position more than two years ago.

Now we move on to the postseason awards. It was another series of tough decisions to finalize who would be recognized in the 2007 Columbia County News-Times All-County Volleyball Teams. The toughest of all came with the player of the year.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Blaise Ramsbotham, Greenbrier

It was a tough call between Ramsbotham, her teammate Annie Czarnecki and Augusta Prep's Laura Kopald. It's even more difficult to compare a setter to a hitter. Bottom line: the senior led her team to a record number of wins this season. Without her, that wouldn't have happened.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Rich Bland, Augusta Prep

Augusta Prep won their second consecutive Georgia Independent Schools Association Class AAA state tournament this season. He also put together the toughest schedule he could find for his girls, including matches against the top South Carolina public schools in the area. The Lady Cavaliers would have gone undefeated had those matches not been on the schedule, but the tough competition is exactly what the team needed in the march toward another state title.

FIRST TEAM

Nicole Abbott

Augusta Prep, Sr., OH

Abbott has made her home on just about every all-county, all-region and all-state team she could find. She belongs on them all after leading the Lady Cavaliers to two state titles.

Kirtley Hitt

Lakeside, Sr., OH

She's not exactly an experienced veteran when it comes to volleyball, but her athleticism and brains made up for it. She led the Lady Panthers with 315 kills for an average of 4.1 per game (yes, game ) this season.

Allison Harrison,

Lakeside, So., S

Any sophomore who tallies 886 assists, 380 digs and 132 aces on the season needs to get used to seeing her name on the all-county teams.

Blaise Ramsbotham,

Greenbrier, Sr., S

She totalled 13.1 sets per match with a 36 percent assist/kill ratio. Her leadership as a senior floor general made an even bigger impact.

Annie Czarnecki,

Greenbier, Jr., MH

She was probably the most feared hitter in the county this year. She also managed 181 blocks for the season.

Jen Hicks,

Augusta Prep, Jr., S

This was her first year running the varsity squad, and she didn't disappoint. The junior led the state champs in assists and had a knack for finding the hot hitters.

Ashton Carraway,

Greenbrier, Sr., OH

One of the most underrated hitters in the county, she totaled 151 kills and 455 digs this season.

Ashley Timmons,

Harlem, Sr., S

Easily the top player for the Lady Bulldogs. She led her team to another state playoff bid.

Kaitlyn Fritz,

Evans, Sr., S

As the spark plug of the team, Frits made everything go. She was the setter but was also one of the team's top hitters.

Laura Kopald,

Augusta Prep, Sr., MB

She led the GISA Class AAA state champs in kills, blocks and aces. Not bad for a girl killing time in the fall until basketball starts.

Second Team

Halie Brinkman

Lakeside, So., OH

Haley Powell

Lakeside, Jr., MB

Alex Daitch

Augusta Prep, So., MB

Kelcey Deihl

Lakeside, So., Def.

Katie Jackson

Harlem, Jr., Def.

Emily Gimmel

Harlem, Fr., OH

McKenzie Gray

Evans, Sr., H

Sarah Cavanaugh

Augusta Chr., Jr., OH

Allison Wylie

Evans, Sr., OH

Honorable Mention

Cara Reed (Greenbrier), Molly Buckner (Greenbrier), Lacey Brock (Evans), Lauren White (Augusta Christian).