Lake Oconee Academy volleyball’s postseason run came to an end against Pepperell in the Elite Eight on Oct. 23, but the team still had a successful season.
The Lady Titans knocked off and swept Bryan County and Rabun County before falling to Pepperell. They ended the year 22-10 overall and 6-5 in the region.
Head coach Chris Ingle was proud of his girls’ effort during the team’s 2024 campaign.
“I think the team played extremely well this year,” Ingle said. “We exceeded expectations and ended up with the most wins in school history. The playoffs were also an amazing experience for our team this year.”
The Lady Titans played the first two rounds down two starters due to a school trip, but according to Ingle, those were two of the team’s best matches.
“It forced several players into positions that they had not played all year,” he said. “I was so proud to see them overcome so much adversity and make no excuses.”
Volleyball is the only sport at LOA that competes with all Class A teams, so most of the teams it faces are two to three times its size.
“When we faced Pepperell in the Elite Eight, they had more students in their student section than we have in our school,” Ingle said.
Ingle was proud of his team’s fight in this tense environment.
“Our team just shows up and competes no matter who we are playing,” Ingle added. “They aren’t afraid of any other team.”
LOA said goodbye to seniors Autumn Hinspeter, Victoria Goubran, and Ellie Daniel. Each played every season at the varsity level. They were instrumental in the program’s success the last four years.
“This group of seniors had such a variety of personalities, strengths, and roles that they played on our team,” Ingle said. “All of them played their role very well and helped carry us to the end of our playoff run.”
Even though LOA is losing three members of its team, Ingle is excited about the program’s future.
“Almost all of the team will return next year,” Ingle said.
He added that the team had mostly freshmen and sophomores on the court for most of this year.
“We will have the highest expectations in 2025,” Ingle said. “Bailey Pattison and Emma DiMascio will be our returning captains, and they should make a huge mark in our region.”
Lake Oconee Academy has turned the page and will return to the court in 2025 with championship aspirations.