EMERSON — Pope had its chance Saturday to win its second state title in a three-year span, but went up against a Buford team with more firepower.

Three different Buford players came away with double-digit kills on the way to a 25-16, 19-25, 25-13, 25-21 win over the Lady Greyhounds on Saturday in the Class AAAAAA state final at Lakepoint Sports Complex.

Ashley Sturzoiu had 13 kills to lead Buford. Mikayla Hayden added 12 and Kianna Polk had 10. And Sydney Austin was near the double-digit marker with eight kills, making it hard for Pope to keep the ball away from the most dangerous of Buford’s hitters.

Setter Grace Adams had 45 assists.

“We’re obviously super disappointed,” Pope coach Jeff White said. “It was a tough match. We were out manned, and they were a great team. They are known for having great athletes.”

After finishing with 16 kills in Pope’s five-set win over Sequoyah in the semifinals, Ayanna Rodgers was held to six. She also added a solo block and two block assists. Sophie-Katherine Harvey led the Lady Greyhounds with nine kills, plus three aces. Sadie Woodworth had seven and Addie Eiland had six kills to go with five block assists.

Despite Pope’s struggles against Buford’s hitters, the Lady Greyhounds were blocking well enough to take the second set, and was four points away from sending the match to a fifth set with a 21-20 lead in the fourth.

Buford went on to take the next five points and the match that started with an Austin kill. Camryn Carlton pushed the ball over the net for a kill to give Buford a 22-21 lead. After Pope committed a hitting error, Austin tacked on two more kills to seal the victory.

“We had to overcome a lot to get to this match,” White said. “The girls played hard, but we didn’t have it in the last five points of the fourth set.”

Buford’s hitters set the tone immediately in the first set when two blocks from Sturzoiu and a kill from Hayden opened a 10-3 lead that the Greyhounds couldn’t recover from.

In the second half, it was Pope that made a run after clinging to an 18-16 lead.

It came on Harvey’s serve when she started it with two aces. Lily Harvey and Eiland combined for a block to make it 21-16. Pope held on to the lead before the Lady Greyhounds evened the match with a solo block from Rodgers.

But Pope could not carry that momentum into the third. Buford was clicking on all cylinders offensively to start the third set and a Polk kill broke the set open with a 13-6 lead. Buford went on to take the third set on a six-point run with three of them being Sturzoiu kills. Austin also had a kill during that run along with a block assist.

“When they are in system, they have all those hitters, and it’s hard to do anything,” White said. “They were getting clean shots, and we couldn’t handle it when they were in system.”

Pope came to play with a vengeance! After last year's defeat to Sequoyah in the Semifinals, we met up with them again, in the Semis, at their home gym. But this time WE WON! Now we're on to the State Finals!

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Help us to victory! Come and cheer for Pope!  5pm, Saturday, Nov 7th

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Where

Lakepoint Sports Complex
Champions Center
261 Stars Way
Cartersville, GA 30121

Tickets

$10.00
Tickets available ONLY at GoFan.co

Schedule

Champions Center
Court #8
11:00 am - 1A Private
1:30 pm - 3A
4:00 pm - 5A
6:30 pm - 7A

Court #17
12 noon - 1A/2A Public
2:30 pm - 4A
5:00 pm - 6A
 

Event Program
Digital event program (Produced by ScoreAtlanta) TBA

Video

Spread the word.  Family, friends and fans can watch all matches Live at NFHSNetwork.com/GHSA.  Subscribing to the Network for an all-access pass is the low price of $10.95 per month per 30-days of $69 for an annual pass. Digital copies / DVDs can also be ordered at NFHSNetwork.com. NFHS Network - High School Happens Here!

A rematch between two of the best teams in the state will determine a spot in this year’s Class AAAAAA championship.

Sequoyah beat Lee County in straight sets (25-13, 25-18, 25-21) Wednesday night in Leesburg to advance to its second straight state semifinal.

The Lady Chiefs will host Pope at noon Saturday. The winner will move on to face either Kennesaw Mountain or Buford for the state title next Saturday at the LakePoint Sports complex in Emerson.

It will be a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, which Sequoyah won in straight sets.

“I think both teams have a lot of angles to use for motivation,” Sequoyah coach John Edwards said. “Obviously, ours is they beat us this year, and I think they’ve got the final four rematch from last year on their minds.”

Sequoyah (34-2) fell in straight sets to Pope (29-1) in late August. The Lady Chiefs were missing several key players for the early-season matchup and should be at full strength this weekend.

Sequoyah, which extended its winning streak to 29 straight matches Wednesday, was multi-faceted in its attack against Lee County.

Paige Powers led the way with 14 kills and 10 digs, and she was joined along the front line by Sara Siefert (10 kills, 11 digs) and Catherine Brumbeloe (seven kills, two blocks, three aces).

Taylor Pecht led Sequoyah with 34 assists and five aces, while Skylar Martin added 11 digs and three aces.

Pope will be led by the Harvey sisters — senior Lily and freshman Sophie-Katherine — who are first and second on the team in kills.

The Lady Greyhounds are balanced, however. Four players have tallied more than 100 kills, five more than 20 aces, five more than 100 digs and two with more than 275 assists.

“(Pope is) a really good blocking team, and they also play really good back-row defense,” Edwards said. “You have to understand you’re not going to score every time you swing. I think patience is the biggest thing. You have to expect longer points and understand that we have to pass and defend well in order to score.”

Sequoyah will have limited capacity for Saturday’s match at the War Lodge due to social distancing, but Edwards said the atmosphere should remain potent with state semifinal energy.

“It’s not going to be as crowded as it was last year, but the good thing about our gym is that it’s small enough to make a small crowd loud,” Edwards said. “I think our girls are always going to be focused. They’re definitely up for it, but they also know it’s going to take a lot of hard work and us playing our best to advance.”

MARIETTA -- Pope defeated North Atlanta in three sets to earn a trip back to the Class AAAAAA semifinals.

The Lady Greyhounds, who won 25-16, 25-20, 25-16, will travel to Sequoyah on Saturday, with a trip to the state championship match on the line.

Pope coach Jeff White said his team’s performance could have been better, but he gave credit to North Atlanta for keeping the Lady Greyhounds off balance.

“The match was very gritty because we were not playing well,” White said. “I give North Atlanta credit. They did a great job and they were a lot scrappier than I thought they would be.”

Pope started the first set strong after building a 15-7 lead and maintained the advantage the rest of the way.

North Atlanta jumped out to a 5-3 lead, putting pressure on the Lady Greyhounds, but Pope rallied back to take the set.

Pope jumped to a 6-0 lead in the third set and cruised to the closeout victory.

Sophie-Katherine Harvey had 12 kills and two digs, while Ayanna Rodgers finished with 11 kills and an ace.

Saturday’s match against Sequoyah will be a rematch of last year’s semifinal, a match the Lady Chiefs won.

To beat Sequoyah this time around, White said the Lady Greyhounds will have to play at the top of their game.

“We need to be better with our blocking and defense because, today, it was OK, but it wasn’t what it needs to be to beat Sequoyah,” White said. “We definitely have to work on our defensive stuff.”

White said the focus cannot be on last year’s match.

“We are going to try to get rid of some ghosts and move on,” he said. “Sequoyah is a great team, and it's going to be a great battle.”

Take all of the teams in the region: Allatoona, Kennesaw Mountain, Kell, Osborn, Lassiter, Pope, South Cobb, Sprayberry, and Wheeler.  Then ask the coaches to vote on players from other teams.  The result?  2 dream teams made up of amazing players, with MANY Pope players among them!

1st Team All-Region:

FiFi Harvey

Lily Harvey

Ayanna Rodgers

2nd Team All-Region:

Adair Hutchinson

And a very special congratulations to Ayanna Rodgers for ALSO being named Region Player of the Year!

Pre-ordered masks are in (except denim) and Grab-N-Go masks are ALL ready for pick up!  Email web@popehsvball@gmail.com for pick-up instructions.  You can also place your order in the link below!

Who is the 6AAAAAA Region Championship winner?  You guessed it... The Pope Greyhounds!  Well done, Pope!   Now onto State! Matches start Wednesday at Pope!

Congratulations to Ella Burris and Ayanna Rodgers for making the AVCA's Phenom Watch List 2020!  We couldn't be more proud of you!

Prep Volleyball: 

Our first recruit of the week is Lily Harvey, a Class of 2021 MB from Pope High School (Marietta, Georgia) and A5 Mizuno. Her highlights can be seen here. Let’s meet her. 

You can attend a top 25 Division I program but might not ever make a big impact there, or you can be a big fish at a smaller school. Which do you pick, and why?

Wherever I end up going, I want to make a difference. I believe that I could do that at either of these options, as long as the other aspects of both schools match up. I would have to base my decision on other details, such as academics, location, campus life, etc. Whichever program could help me more in the future would be the one I would pick. 

You’ve done well in high school and on the ACT/SAT, and you consider yourself brainy, but the best volleyball options you have would mean going to a school that had just an average reputation academically. How do you decide?

Don’t get me wrong, I love volleyball, and the team and coaches are a huge part in my decision. But for me personally, academics come first, and if a program isn’t a good academic fit for me, that is certainly a huge push factor. If I am not able to push myself academically, I don’t think I would be able to attend the school, even if they have the perfect volleyball team. I’d rather attend a school with better academics, even if that means the team isn’t quite as good. 

The new recruiting rules prohibit you from making a Division I commitment until your junior year, do you personally think that is a good thing or a bad thing? Please explain.

I personally agree with this decision. I started recruiting as a freshman, and the schools I was looking at then are nothing like the ones I am currently considering. So much has changed since then that I know I would have regretted my decision if I had committed early. I think providing athletes more time to get to know themselves, what they are looking for, and what is reasonable for them is extremely important. 

Let’s say you’ve decided on an academic major. School “A” has your major, but the volleyball program isn’t what you’re looking for. School “B” seems to be a perfect fit in every way but doesn’t have the major. Which do you choose and why?

As I mentioned before, academics come first for me. The major I am currently interested in, Biology/Pre-med, is fairly broad and is a major at most universities. If school B doesn’t have my major, I would probably pick school A. Even if I don’t end up choosing Biology in college, I am definitely planning on majoring in science, and a school that doesn’t have Biology as a major may not have as many science major options. 

Team dynamics seem to be important to a lot of people. What’s your ideal team relationship situation – in the locker room, on the court, in the dorms, and on the weekend – and where do you fit in?

I want a team that is basically a sisterhood. I love getting to know my teammates and learning to trust them, and when that happens, I believe the team plays so much better. I play best when I am surrounded by people who support me and want me to succeed, so a close team relationship is super important.

What kind of coach gets the best out of you?

Speaking from experience, the best coaches I have ever had had a strong relationship with the players on and off the court. I play best when I am comfortable around my coaches and teammates, and when I know, they trust me as much as I trust them. I am super analytical, so feedback (positive and negative) is really important to me as well. 

What is something unique that most people don’t know about you? 

At one point in my life, I played six different sports at once! I ran cross country, did gymnastics, cheer, volleyball, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics, and dance. In middle school, I narrowed it down to swimming, volleyball, and cross country, and now I just do volleyball. I would still do cross country if it wasn’t a fall sport, but volleyball is more important, and the two overlap. 

What about going to college scares the bejeebers out of you? 

I’m a little nervous about leaving my family and my dog, but other than that, I’m excited to go to college! I think it will be a really great experience, and I’m looking forward to meeting new people and trying new things. I’ll be too busy with school and volleyball to miss home too much, but I’ll be happy to see everyone when I do get to visit. 

Kill, Dig, Ace, or Block, which do you choose, and why? 

Kill! There is nothing like getting a perfect hit in a game, especially if it’s a close match or if the other team has a huge block. Middles don’t get set as much as other hitters, so getting to take advantage of a perfect set is my favorite part of the game. It really helps get the team’s confidence up, too! 

What was your first big success as an athlete, and how did it impact you?

2018 as a whole was a big year for my volleyball career. I played on an underdog team that worked super hard and ended up getting 3rd at AAUS. I had just come off an injury, and I had been so frustrated that I hadn’t been on the court for so long. During AAU’s, everything kind of clicked for everyone on the team. I had never seen hard work pay off as it did for us, and it really inspired me to keep pushing myself and never give up. Then in the fall, my high school team won states. We only had two people over 6-0, but we focused on our strengths and never let the ball drop. We came back from a 2-0 lead by the other team in the Elite Eight and pushed our way through to the finals, where we won 3-1. This reinforced what I had seen in club, and showed what dedication and endurance could do for a team. 

Lily Harvey is looking for a school where she can be the difference-maker. She also understands that academics are her first priority. We wish her luck in her college search.

If you have any questions or concerns about the Pope Volleyball Program, please contact Head Varsity Coach, Jeff White at jeffrey.white@cobbk12.org. Questions about the Middle School Program should go to Middle School Director, Laura Ann (L.A.) O'Sullivan at lauraannh12@gmail.com. Thank you!

ATLANTA – Another talented prospect, Ava Vlkovic, signed her national letter of intent to play volleyball at Georgia State, head coach Sally Polhamus announced Wednesday afternoon. Vlkovic will join six other newcomers in the fall. 

Ava Vlkovic- DS, 5'7, Marietta, Ga. (Pope High School) 

A local native, Vlkovic is a four-year letterwinner at Pope High School under head coach Shawn Darling. She helped her team win a State Championship in 2018. A defensive player, she was ranked No. 15 among Georgia high school dig leaders at the end of the 2019 season. Her back row efforts also earned her All-State and the Marietta Daily Journal's All-County Second Team honors in her senior season. Vlkovic played for A5. In 2019 she had the opportunity to play for their international team in Africa and travel with the National Botswana team.

"We can't wait to welcome Vlkovic to our 2020 recruiting class and to the Panther family. This class is filled with competitive and driven athletes both on and off the court with a strong foundation of incredible character," said Polhamus. 

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Pope Volleyball is so happy to welcome Dr. Jeff White to the position of Varsity Head Coach.  Coach White brings many years of experience to our program:

34 Years of Coaching Experience
18 Years of Volleyball Coaching Experience
12 Years of High School Head Volleyball Coaching Experience in Georgia
6 Years of College Coaching Experience (Brenau, Birmingham-Southern, UAB)
6 Years of Club Coaching Experience including 3 Years as a Club Director (A5, GA5, TCA)

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When considering elevating an already Elite Level Program, Coach White says, "Pope Volleyball already has multiple middle school teams in place, the JV team is quite successful and the Varsity Team has won multiple GHSA State Championships. My plan is to expand on the existing system and insert my vision and training methods throughout all volleyball teams within Pope Volleyball. From 6th grade through the Varsity, our teams will support each other on and off the court through mentoring programs and support at matches. The goal is for every player in the program to feel connected and part of something bigger than themselves."

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Coach White has his PhD in Sport Pedagogy. As a faculty member, he will be based in the math department, and as a coach, he will oversee the entire Pope Volleyball Program including Varsity, JV, Feeder Teams, Camps and Clinics.  We are happy to have him with us.  Welcome, Coach White!

Congratulations to Ava Vlkovic and Ayanna Rodgers who were named to JVA's 2020 Ultra Ankle Watch List this year!

The Lady Greyhounds had 5 Scholar Athletes, each maintaining a 3.5+ average for a minimum of their freshman and sophomore years.  Well done, Renee Bissell, Sophie Gould, Lily Harvey, Caroline Wiseman, and Sadie Woodworth!

Georgia Volleyball Coaches Association  hosted an all-star game for seniors to have one last showcase for their high school volleyball carriers, as selected by vote of their members.  4 Pope Seniors were named:  Ava Vlkovic, Zeren Yesilova, Madison Mims, and Caroline Wiseman.

2019 All State Selections

The 2019 All State Team for each classification was selected by a vote of member coaches of the GVCA, and reviewed by the board and past presidents.  Nominations are taken from head coaches only via MaxPreps through the Sunday following the area tournament.  All nominees whose coaches are GVCA members are then voted on by the coaches and reviewed by the committee made up of present board members and past presidents of the GVCA.  Pope placed 3 girls on this team:  Ava Vlkovic, Lily Harvey, Zeren Yesilova; and one alternate: Ayanna Rodgers.

The Pope Lady Greyhounds hosted the All-Region 6AAAAAA  Area 7 Tournament this week, and the All-Region Dream Teams were announced.  The Hounds dominated, with 6 girls chosen for both teams, 5 on 1st Team!  Way to Pound 'Em, Hounds!  Such a nice recognition for such a talented group of athletes.

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Congratulations to our 1st Team All-Region:

Caroline Wiseman

Lily Harvey

Zeren Yesilova

Ava Vlkovic

Ayanna Rodgers

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and to our 2nd Team All-Region:

Ella Burris

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Pope (A) Blue Team wins the Tsunami Middle School Challenge, beating Blessed Trinity in the final, AGAIN!  The Future is Bright!

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Pope (B) White Team ALSO wins the Tsunami Middle School Challenge, beating Blessed Trinity in the final!  Greyhound Bound!

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Pope (C) Grey Team wins their first Tournament!  Well done, Hounds!

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Pope (E) Sky Team beats Walton in their scrimmage.  Way to go, Greyhounds!

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​The Pope Varsity Volleyball team finished their season with a 40-9 record and finished as the GHSA 6A State Champions for the 2018-2019 season.  The Hounds fought hard throughout the tournament beating out the defending State Champions, Harrison, in the first round.  The Hounds battled back from being down 2 sets to none in the 2nd round to a tough Apalachee team, but came out on top in the 5th set 15-9.  Pope then traveled down to Brunswick to sweep Glynn Academy in the Elite 8.  In the Final Four, the Hounds defeated Creekview 3-1 and were ready for the State Championship against Allatoona.  Pope won the first set 25-17, lost the second 15-25 and then came back to win the next two, 25-18 and 25-21.  The Hounds were awarded their State Championship rings at the last regular season basketball games at Pope High School on January 26th!

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Cobb County Board of Education Honors Lady Greyhounds!

Cobb County BOE recognizes the Pope Volleyball Team for their accomplishments for the 2018 season and their title of State Champions!

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POPE GREYHOUNDS STATE CHAMPIONS!!  

Pope Defeats Harrison, Apalachee, Glynn Academy, Creekview, and  Allatoona for the State Championship

Dees' late push helps Pope cement state championship

• Michael Foster

• Nov 3, 2018​

MARIETTA -- Pope never had a doubt.

Stella Dees recorded 11 of her 15 kills in the final two sets and the Lady Greyhounds tactically frustrated Allatoona in a four-set win (25-17, 15-25, 25-18, 25-21) Saturday in the Class AAAAAA state championship match.  Pope (40-9), which claimed its first state championship since a three-year title reign from 2009-11, was also led by nine kills from Eliza Dees, while Lily Harvey had eight from the middle-blocking position.  Allatoona’s Emma Ahrens dominated with 22 kills, and it was Pope’s lack of height, in contrast to Allatoona’s towering combination of Ahrens and Chamblee Russell, that stood out in the early going.

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But where the Lady Greyhounds lacked in size, they excelled in fundamentals. “We know we aren’t as big as everyone else,” Pope coach Shawn Darling said. “Our team motto has been all about heart. The thing is, we build on playing sharp defense and then our opportunities come from that. They buy in, they’re smart and they do everything we tell them to. It’s easy to coach girls like (Stella Dees) who are so smart and are always in the right spots, and then they turn that into points.”

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Pope won the first set after trailing 13-8, then looked to have met its match when Allatoona (38-15) turned around and dominated the second. Then, the Lady Greyhounds responded by going up 6-1 to start the next set after the break, cruising to the set win and putting the pressure on Allatoona to win the next one.  The Lady Buccaneers went up 7-3, then rallied from three down to make it 21-all, but Pope turned it around and set up the match point when libero Ava Vikovic got an ace thanks to a friendly roll from the net.

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It was the first state title for Darling, who took over for longtime coach Bryan Jones heading into the 2017 season.  Last year, Pope reached the state semifinals before losing to eventual champion Harrison.  “For me, I won state as a player, but I think winning as a coach was more fun,” Darling said. “The fact that you are there watching a group of young ladies put in all of that hard work, and then seeing it pay off, is so rewarding.”

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Allatoona was in pursuit of a title in its first state finals appearance, and with Russell returning next year, should be primed for another run.

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Varsity and Jr Varsity 2019!

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