ARC volleyball team heads to final 4 for the first time
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Georgia high school volleyball playoffs are back on Wednesday, and the spotlight is on the Academy of Richmond County.
The Musketeers are headed to the Final Four for the first time in program history after defeating Sandy Creek in three straight sets: 25-17, 25-23, 25-16.
News 12 caught up with Coach David Bradberry after the teams tenth straight win.
“It’s unbelievable. This team wanted to get to the next level. ‘What can we do to get to the next level?’ We usually win the first round, but that second round, you know, is kind of getting the so called monkey off your back. And so we did that last Saturday, and now tonight, against big, bad, powerful, Sandy Creek, my goodness.”
Sandy Creek is the defending 3A State Champions. ARC met them once before the playoffs, where they won 2-0.
“They just, just played their hearts out and did everything we asked them to do,” said coach.
It’s a long time coming.
“People don’t understand, volleyball season starts in May with tryouts, and we play all summer long, and then the school starts, and it’s a grind, and it’s like we’ve been living under the same roof together for six months. It just makes it all worthwhile.”
ARC will now face Calhoun on Saturday.
The Musketeers swept Cherokee Bluff over the weekend to make it into round 3.
They are now the only team left in the area still in the hunt for a title.
Prior to their meeting with Sandy Creek, we stopped by ARC.
So far, they’ve glided through rounds 1 and 2.
They haven’t dropped a single set, entering as the number one seed.
On Wednesday, they played Sandy Creek who’s back at number 9.
Alleluia Community wins back-to-back volleyball state championships
Alleluia beat Cherokee Christian and Oakwood Christian in three-sets to none each to bring home the title.
Like our other fall sports, their road to the playoff was anything but smooth.
They celebrated senior night in round 1 since their games were canceled due to the storm.
While other sports had extensions, they rolled right into playoffs after finishing region play in a quad match.
“My biggest concern was regaining our pre-hurricane form, because we were rolling, you know, mid to late September. It took us a while. The first few practices back were terrible. We were sloppy and just kind of unmotivated and, and, but I think Saturday kind of showed me that we’re back,” said ARC Head Coach David Bradberry.
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