North Gwinnett volleyball is back in the Final 4

SUWANEE, GEORGIA – With each passing set, the North Gwinnett volleyball team only got stronger.

Looking to advance to the Final 4 for the third time in five years, the Bulldogs improved little by little over the course of the match and defeated Harrison in straight sets, 25-19, 25-18, 25-10 to clinch their spot in the next round.

The Bulldogs (41-1) were led by senior Joya Screen, who finished her night with 19 kills to lead both teams. The Baylor commit was nearly unstoppable on the night and when the Bulldogs needed her, she delivered.

“She’s definitely a leader on this team,” North Gwinnett head coach Kristina Stinson said of Screen. “She always has been for all four years of her career at North Gwinnett. It’s nice to see her really take her team all the way. She does a great job offensively, defensively, serving, just all the way around. She’s a great representative of our program for sure.”

Having only lost one time all season, North Gwinnett entered Tuesday night’s quarterfinal matchup with Harrison (25-19) as the heavy favorite. Harrison played the role of cinderella in the first two rounds of the playoffs after upsetting both Archer and Richmond Hill as a No. 3 seed in the tournament.

Playing with house money, the Hoyas didn’t back down in the first set, either. Midway through the set, the Hoyas had a lead, 12-11 before the Bulldogs found a groove. The Bulldogs were able to win back-to-back points to grab a 13-12 lead and then rattled off five more to Harrison’s one to lead 18-13.

The Hoyas managed to trim the Bulldogs' lead to 21-19, but Screen took over. The senior used her left hand to give them a 23-19 advantage and then won the first set for them with another kill.

Stinson said their first set was just a matter of getting over the nerves of a playoff match and trying to establish a rhythm.

“I think at first we just had to get the jitters out,” Stinson said. “Once we found our rhythm, they were unstoppable. Our serving was great. We were finding the empty spots on the court and were putting them away which was really nice to see.”

In the second set, the Bulldogs trailed early, 6-5 but rolled from there. A Daniela Domkam ace gave them an 8-6 lead over the Hoyas and two more kills from Screen gave the hosts a 13-10 advantage.

Leading 21-15, back-to-back aces from senior Kadyn McCarthy put the game out of reach, 23-15 and they went on to take a 2-0 lead in the match after Harrison hit the ball into the net.

The Bulldogs’ best set was their last.

Back-to-back aces from Domkam gave the Bulldogs a commanding 11-3 lead in the final set and Screen later put the hosts up 19-8 with another kill.

With each point, the excitement grew on the Bulldogs’ side of the court and they were eventually able to celebrate after sweeping the Hoyas with relative ease.

Awaiting the Bulldogs in the Final 4 is Buford, the only team to beat them this season.

In Stinson’s five years as head coach of the Bulldogs, they have reached the Final 4 twice prior to this season and fell short both times. Stinson is hoping that a third time will be the charm.

“We’re really shooting to get past the Final 4 and into the state championship,” Stinson said. “I really do think that this team can take it all the way and win the whole thing. What’s beautiful about them is they play together as a team, they fight together and they’re just the most fun group of girls to coach. I’m very grateful.”

The Bulldogs will have the luxury of hosting Buford in the Final 4 and Stinson said they’re already looking forward to it.

“Hey, we’re ready for them,” Stinson said.

All photos by Colin Hubbard