COLUMBIA, SC - The Boiling Springs volleyball team went on the road to the state capitol to start the 5A playoffs and when the night was over the Bulldogs season had sadly come to an end as they fell to River Bluff 3-0 on Wednesday night.
After an hour and a half road trip, the Bulldogs struggled to get momentum going in their first-round matchup as they fell in the first set 25-16 while falling 25-17 in the second set and having their season come to an end on a 25-16 loss in the third set. With the loss the volleyball team sees their final record being 21-17 overall while finishing third in the region with a 4-4 region record. In their final match for the Bulldogs seniors Karson Browning and Grace Shepherd had good nights as Browning recorded 10 kills and three blocks while Shepherd ended the match with 15 assists, eight digs, four kills, and one block. Boiling Springs sophomore Kennedy Cole ended the match with 11 digs, eight kills, and one ace serve. After the loss the Bulldogs will have to say goodbye to eight seniors as it marks the final match for Autumn Early, Abigail Kanipe, Gracen Bennett, Deanna Falovsky, Aubrey Chang, Karson Browning, Charlotte Hutchins, and Grace Shepherd. It's a group that Bulldogs head coach Allyson Elliot said has meant a lot to her and the program. "We have eight seniors and most of them have been with me throughout the whole time," said Elliot. "I've had a great time seeing them grow as players and as young women. They've been a lot of fun to be around and been a lot of encouragement to my family and myself these last few years and they'll certainly be missed. They've helped build a legacy and tradition that they've passed down to the younger group." Elliot said that the seniors have even continued a unique tradition that was passed on to them from classes before them. "They sing the alma mater every time we come back into the school on the bus every match whether we win or lose," said Elliot. "Some of the seniors started the tradition before them and now they lead the singing of the alma mater each time we come back and some days it's better than others. They have the whole bus singing as we pull back into the high school parking lot and do a little cheer at the end of it." She also said that the group has been a selfless group as even though some haven't gotten the playing time they want, they have been very supportive of their teammates. "It's a great group of seniors and some of them probably haven't gotten to play as much as they'd like to this year," said Elliot. "Even though they haven't played as much as they wanted, they've supported their teammates and to me that shows a lot of character as they don't fight and complain but are excited with the success of the team." While the Bulldogs will miss the seniors, the loss on Wednesday also marked the last game for Coach Elliot as she announced earlier this year that she would retire from coaching at the end of the season. When asked about the possibility of her last game coming up in an interview last week before her last home game, she said she tried not to think about it being the end of her time as the leader of the program but was soaking up every moment. "I've thought about it, but I do my best not to think too much about it," said Elliot. "I don't want to get emotional about it because I want us to finish every match strong for the kids and I've tried to enjoy every moment this season." On a personal note, we at the Boiling Springs Sports Journal want to thank Coach Elliot for her many years of service to the Bulldogs program and the help she has been to us since the beginning of our website. You are one-of-a-kind coach, and we appreciate all of your help and kind words. Comments are closed.
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