Patrick Henry and Chilhowie take Hogoheegee District volleyball wins (copy) (copy)
Mia Owens, Patrick Henry
The Patrick Henry Rebels completed a four-year quest in volleyball this season by winning the Hogoheegee District regular season title.
PH took the first step toward another long-awaited journey in Tuesday’s district tournament semifinals.
With 5-foot-11 senior Erin South setting the pace, the Rebels posted a 25-23, 25-19, 25-10 win over the Rural Retreat Indians.
PH (19-7) is searching for an elusive run in the Class 1 state playoffs after falling in straight sets to Giles in the 2025 state quarterfinals. Five starters returned from last season.
South is a four-year starter at the middle hitter position. What has she learned over that time?
“It takes grit and teamwork to be successful,” said South, who recently committed to play volleyball at Chattanooga State Community College . “We have a great environment in our program. We’re all best friends and we all work on our games.”
South collected eight kills and four blocks on Tuesday, while 5-9 senior Kinsley Counts supplied six kills. The other standouts for PH included junior setter Mia Owens (25 assists, 11 digs), sophomore Aspyn Harner (19 digs), junior Emma Harris (four kills, 10 digs) and junior Autumn Parks with seven digs.
“We’ve been in a little slump, but we made it through tonight and we’re moving on,” South said.
PH head coach Crystal Miller is a member of the South fan club.
“Erin is the definition of a great teammate,” Miller said. “She is a captain who is unwavering no matter what is happening around her in a match.”
With six seniors on the roster, is this the year that PH finally gets over the state quarterfinal hump?
“We have the squad that has the ability to do it, but we need to be crisper in our execution,’’ Miller said. “Our biggest challenge is not beating ourselves and maintaining our energy level.”
“It was a great feeling to win district this season with a 10-0 record. That’s pretty big.”
PH will host Chilhowie on Thursday for the tournament title.
Rural Retreat (5-14) was led by sophomore Mazzie Fontaine (nine kills), junior Emery Sage (18 assists), junior Alice Martin (nine digs), junior Grace Watkins (kills) and freshman Ada Childers with five blocks and four kills.
“We’ve had a rough season with injuries and circumstances that have impacted our roster,” fourth-year Rural Retreat head coach Brittany Sage said. “We had to bring players up from the JV team and run different rotations just to fill spots on the court.
“When we get our full roster and energy together, we are definitely competitive. That showed tonight.”
Indians shut out Cavaliers
The duo of Mazzie Fontaine (18 kills, six digs, two aces) and Emery Sage (28 assists, eight digs, two aces) starred as the Rural Retreat Indians earned a 25-21, 25-14, 25-23 win over Holston in the first round of the Hogoheegee District tournament.
Rural Retreat avenged a loss to the Cavaliers just five days earlier and clinched a spot in the Region 1D tournament.
Ada Childress (five kills, three blocks), Alice Martin (four kills), Hannah Taylor (seven digs), Maria Hagy (two aces) and Jade Hagerman (six digs) had noteworthy stat lines as well for the winners.
Haleigh Dutton (15 digs, nine assists, two aces), Ella Evans (six kills, four blocks), Bailee Singleton (14 digs, four kills) and Payton Long (three aces) were strong in defeat for Holston.
agregory@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @Greg_BHCSports | (276) 645-2544
