Honor roll
Softball
Kallie Case, Buford: Had three hits, a double, two runs scored, an RBI and three stolen bases in a win and loss last week.
Abby Cooley, Gainesville: Went 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs in a win Thursday against Johnson.
Sarabeth Cummins, White County: Went 4-for-6 with two runs scored in two wins last week.
Karly Fullem, Buford: Threw three innings, striking out two, to earn the save in the circle, while going 2-for-4 with a three-run home run against East Coweta on Wednesday.
Aubrie Gstalder, White County: Hit a home run and had two RBIs in two wins last week.
Morgan Jacobson, White County: Went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in a win over Lumpkin County on Tuesday.
Callie McDonald, White County: Earned a win in the pitching circle, and added four hits, a double, a triple, two runs scored and five RBIs in two wins last week.
Stephanie Satterfield, White County: Earned a win in the circle and went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in a win over Lumpkin County on Tuesday.
Volleyball
Kathryn Bell, North Hall: Had 39 assists, six kills and three aces in two wins and a loss last week.
Taylor Cramsey, Jefferson: Had 19 kills in two wins Tuesday.
Liz Darden, Buford: Had 41 digs in two wins Thursday.
Jenna Falletta, Buford: Had 29 assists in two wins Tuesday.
Jessica Falletta, Buford: Had 11 kills and 22 digs in two wins Thursday.
Kenzi Grewett, Flowery Branch: Had 56 assists and three aces in three wins and a loss last week.
Sarah Paschall, North Hall: Had a 17-point service run, 27 digs, five kills, four aces and five assists in three wins and a loss last week.
Maggie Roper, Buford: Had 16 kills and 27 digs in two wins Thursday.
FLOWERY BRANCH— No matter the sport or level of competition, it takes more than one player to make a great team.
Just ask Rick Godfrey, who is in his first year as coach of the Flowery Branch volleyball team.
The Lady Falcons faced two distinct challenges at the start of the 2010 season.
First, the team only returned three starters from a 2009 team that went to the second round of the state playoffs. Second, Flowery Branch moved up from Class AAA to Class AAAA, increasing the difficulty of competition.
Issues such as these would give any coach cause to worry, but Godfrey seems to have found the solution before a problem could manifest in the forms of senior outside hitter Alexis Love and junior setter Kenzi Grewett.
Over the past seven days, Flowery Branch (7-3, 4-0 Area 8N-AAAA) has faced three opponents from Class AAAA and one from Class AA/A. The Lady Falcons are 3-1 during that stretch, with the lone loss coming against Class AAAA’s Forest Park (13-1).
Love led the way for Flowery Branch, tallying 31 kills, eight aces, three blocks and four digs over the four-game stretch.
For her efforts, Love is The Times Athlete of the Week.
Also during those four games, Grewett was instrumental in Love’s and the team’s success, compiling 56 assists and three aces.
“(Love) is Kenzi’s go-to-girl as far as setting the ball,” Godfrey said. “And when they’re on, we’re on, and there’s not a whole lot you can do.”
With two of the best volleyball players in the area, it’s not hard to see why the Lady Falcons are 4-0 in their new classification.
When asked, neither Grewett nor Love had much to say about themselves. Each had only praise for the other.
“I can always depend on her to get my assists as a kill,” Grewett said of Love. “I just have confidence in her.”
That confidence does not seem to be misplaced. Love has amassed 61 kills so far this season, along with 17 aces, and is among the Top 50 in the state for kills per game. But Love pays no heed to any of that; she simply praises the dependency of Grewett.
“If we make bad passes, Kenzi goes right after them,” Love said. “You know she’s going to give you a good set to work with.”
Naturally, Godfrey has nothing but praise for both of his players.
“Kenzi bring everyone else up and makes everyone else look good,” Godfrey said. “(Love) has power, obviously. I mean, she swings hard and puts fear into the other team.”
More than power or passing ability, Godfrey prizes the leadership that both Love and Grewett show on the floor.
“We have some girls that have been playing together for a while,” Godfrey said. “We only have three returning starters so I am looking to them to lead out here by example, by their words and by everything else.
“And they definitely do that for us.”
Despite being among the Top 50 in the state in total assists (109), Grewett believes her most important strength is an ability to keep the Lady Falcons focused.
“I have to lead and stay positive,” the junior said. “I just try to get them to come together as a team and not break apart during matches if they get frustrated.”
That kind of cohesive influence will be necessary if Flowery Branch wants to make another run in the state playoffs. But simply reaching the second round this year will not be enough to satisfy Love, who wants to reach the quarterfinals.
“I’ll be satisfied with that, if we can’t win it all,” Love said.
When it comes to continuing to play volleyball after the completion of her senior season, Love is currently considering Brevard College and Cumberland University. At the moment, Brevard holds a slight lead in the competition for Love, who also has interest in Valdosta State, but has yet to receive word on a possible scholarship.
The Lady Falcons will continue the pursuit of another state tournament appearance when they play host to a tri-match with Hebron Christian Academy and Winder-Barrow at 5 p.m. Thursday.