Helping Fox Creek High School win its third straight region 4-A volleyball title this year were two key players, Samantha Bryant and Devin Lacey.
"Our team has really been built around Devin for the past three seasons," coach Bill Warnken wrote in an e-mail. And "Sam was the player who could do it all."
Fox Creek went undefeated in region play during the season but fell to McBee in five games in the first round of the state playoffs in late October. The team finished 17-10 on the season.
Samantha and Devin graduate this year.
As she looked back over the season, Devin said a highlight was the way the team came together. It lost one of its coaches, and one of the Lady Predators was injured early on.
"Our first few times playing together were quite rough," Devin wrote in an e-mail. "With coach Warnken's leadership, we were all able to adjust and return to the strong set of Lady Predators that had finished out strong in the previous year.
''Another highlight was how much heart was put into the team this year. With three of the varsity players being seniors, everyone worked extra hard to make our last year a great one. Lindsay Templeton, Samantha Bryant and I all picked up our game and played our hearts out all season long, knowing this was our last chance to be a part of such an amazing team."
Devin and Samantha complemented each other in their abilities on the court, Mr. Warnken said.
Devin owns all of the school's hitting records, and Samantha was the defensive specialist. Devin has 383 all-time kills at Fox Creek.
"Sam had two qualities that made her invaluable to our team. First, she understands volleyball, how the game flows, and how it is supposed to be played. Second, she was simply the most athletic person on our team," Mr. Warnken wrote.
Devin was named all-state this year and participated in the all-state game at Lander University on Nov. 22. She has been part of the all-region team for three years and was named the 2008 Region Player of the Year.
Reach Charmain Brackett at charmain.brackett@augustachronicle.com.
ATHLETES OF THE MONTH: SAMANTHA BRYANT AND DEVIN LACEY
SCHOOL: Fox Creek High School
SPORT: Volleyball
COACH'S COMMENTS: According to coach Bill Warnken, Devin is the team's "go-to player," and Samantha is "the most athletic person on our team."
WHAT IS COMMUNITY COUNTS?
Community Counts is The Augusta Chronicle's new collaborative effort to benefit the communities in our area. This multitiered program of involvement includes contests, events, sponsorships and recognition of outstanding youths, teachers, volunteers and public servants in the Augusta area. Nomination forms are available online at augustachronicle.com/communitycounts or email charmain.brackett@ augustachronicle.com.
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