From our local paper:

Mauldin volleyball tops Lexington to win 1st volleyball state championship in school history

COLUMBIA –– With the first volleyball state championship in Mauldin High School history within the Mavericks’ grasp, Jurnee Robinson refused to let up.

It was the third set and her team led Lexington 2-0. Robinson slid to save a ball that nearly fell out of bounds. It would’ve given Lexington a point, then she dove for another dig to keep a ball alive, allowing Mauldin to get a point and take an 11-5 lead in the set.

As she huddled with her teammates when the play was over, she pointed at them and smiled.

She knew ‒ they all knew ‒ that history was within reach.

Saturday night at Dreher High School in Columbia, Mauldin volleyball made about as much history as possible, adding to an already historic season. The Mavericks pummeled Lexington in a three-set sweep, 25-22, 25-22, 25-18 to win the first volleyball state championship in school history.

“It’s amazing,” Robinson, the Mavericks leader with 25 kills Saturday, said. “I feel like people have always doubted Mauldin volleyball and for us this year to win it, win it all after we didn’t start off too strong … it feels good.”

It was Mauldin’s first appearance in the state championship match after Tuesday was the program’s first volleyball state semifinal win. The Mavericks are also the first Greenville County public school to win a volleyball title since Hillcrest in 2013.

“It’s kind of hard to put all the words together and make them all make sense at one time,” Mauldin coach Val Thoms told reporters. “But holy crap, is it awesome.”

Mauldin’s dominant run ends with history

Mauldin volleyball was swept last season in the third round by Dorman, last season’s Class AAAAA state champions. The Mavericks beat Dorman in four sets to get to the state title game – and the process of building up Mauldin’s program to a state title winner, Thoms said, has been different each season.

“It’s been a process,” Thoms said. “Each year we get better and then its’, ‘how can we keep getting better and how do we learn and grow …’ And each year it’s been a different type of lesson to learn.

“The process (to get here) has been challenging but has been very rewarding.”

Mauldin finished its season with a 32-7 overall record and a region championship. The Mavericks only dropped one set in the entire postseason, which came in the Upper State Championship against Dorman.

“Just coming together, working as a team on and off court,” Robinson said. “It just takes everything … it’s not just about playing volleyball, it’s a team effort.”

Lexington struggles to contain Mauldin offense

Mauldin got out of the gates in the first set with a 6-2 lead. Robinson had 11 kills in the first set, but Lexington tied it at 11-11 before Mauldin finished off the Wildcats in the first set by running off six straight points to lead 17-11 and then take the set 25-22.

It set the tone for an impressive match by Mauldin. The Mavericks seemed to do little wrong and Lexington struggled to stop the Maverick offense. Despite Lexington showing a lot of fight, Mauldin never trailed until the Wildcats took a 11-10 lead in the second set ‒ it was the only time that Mauldin trailed in the match.

Senior Anna Schneider tallied eight kills, sophomore Sarina Galyean had 11 kills. Robinson and Schneider each had 13 digs, senior libero Ella Leister had 12, as well. The team’s fourth senior, Allison Norris, had six digs.

“It feels great, you know,” Robinson said. “We’ve been working for this for so long.”

Greeville News

Very proud of our girl and her team. More to come later. But for now — the moment I could watch over and over…