Division I-AAA Crown: Franklin bests Science Hill for first title

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Editor's Notes: Do you want to get in front of Prep Dig Scouts? This is one big way to do it. The annual Kentucky Exposure Tour in Wilder is Nov. 28. Click on this link to register:</em> <a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/2489/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-kentucky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://events.prepdig.com/e/2489/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-kentucky</a>. <em>For 25 percent off, type</em> ET26Mike25OFF <em>at checkout.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That elusive first state championship tends to be a special one because the program has not experienced that life on top of the mountain.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Franklin Admirals and Science Hill Hilltoppers came into the Friday evening battle with that opportunity as the top two rated team in the class coming into the tournament. However, Franklin had been using its collective size across the board to handle teams all season and that continued at the Murphy Center in a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-22) victory as the Admirals finished the season with an impressive 33-1 mark and 26 wins in a row. Their lone loss of the season came Aug. 22 against Kentucky power St. Henry at the Showdown at the Sunsphere.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franklin hit an impressive .355 recording 45 kills on 93 attempts and just 12 errors to go with 43 assists, two aces, 40 digs and eight blocks. On the other side, Science Hill (43-5 overall) had 35 kills, 32 assists, six aces, 31 digs and two blocks. Science Hill has two potent left-handed hitters, but Franklin head coach Makayla Beebe said the team ran drills in a light practice against that Thursday and it paid off.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='946580' first='Ellyson' last='Fogle'] put together a sound game defensively and swinging and [player_tooltip player_id='946569' first='Grace' last='Caroline Steih'] hit .308 to rack up double-digit kills. [player_tooltip player_id='751227' first='Maggie' last='Myhr'], Grace Stoebner and [player_tooltip player_id='959931' first='Riley' last='Neese'] once again came in and helped the Admirals in the back row with dynamic setter [player_tooltip player_id='939795' first='Emmy' last='Garner'] once again making great decisions distributing the ball. [player_tooltip player_id='826577' first='Jorden' last='Robinson'], [player_tooltip player_id='961442' first='Clara' last='Leister'] and even [player_tooltip player_id='822945' first='Brynn' last='Pennington'] took greatr swings. Garner even mixed in tough setter dumps to aid the cause for the Admirals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"I was very happy with our block," Beebe said. "I think they executed well and our middles closed really well. Our pins did a great job too."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='952563' first='Lucy' last='O'Daniel'] once again tried to to lead the Hilltoppers to a win leading the balanced offense with [player_tooltip player_id='831123' first='Chloe' last='Conner'], [player_tooltip player_id='952571' first='Sofia' last='Pavlovich'], [player_tooltip player_id='812534' first='Clara' last='McBride'], [player_tooltip player_id='952566' first='Lizzie' last='Clark'] and [player_tooltip player_id='842073' first='Bryleigh' last='Scott'] recording at least six kills each. [player_tooltip player_id='801983' first='Isa' last='Dau'], [player_tooltip player_id='952575' first='Claire' last='Lamb'] and Kaitlyn Wallace had some nice digs against the tough Franklin hitters. The Hilltoppers still drove further than any team in program history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Stat Leaders</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kills</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='946580' first='Ellyson' last='Fogle'], Franklin - 14</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='946569' first='Grace' last='Caroline Steih'], Franklin - 12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='952571' first='Sofia' last='Pavlovich'], Science Hill - 7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='812534' first='Clara' last='McBride'], Science Hill - 7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='939795' first='Emmy' last='Garner'], Franklin - 6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='961442' first='Clara' last='Leister'], Franklin - 6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='831123' first='Chloe' last='Conner'], Science Hill - 6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='952566' first='Lizzie' last='Clark'], Science Hill - 6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='842073' first='Bryleigh' last='Scott'], Science Hill - 6</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Assists</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Garner - 34</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='952563' first='Lucy' last='O'Daniel'], Science Hill - 28</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Aces</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='822945' first='Brynn' last='Pennington'], Franklin - 2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>O'Daniel - 3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='801983' first='Isa' last='Dau'], Science Hill - 2</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Digs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fogle - 12</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gracie Stoebner, Franklin - 9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>O'Daniel - 9</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Garner - 7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='751227' first='Maggie' last='Myhr'], Franklin - 7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='952575' first='Claire' last='Lamb'], Science Hill - 7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Dau - 7</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blocks</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leister - five assisted</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Pennington - four assisted</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='826577' first='Jorden' last='Robinson'] - one solo, two assisted</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Garner - one solo, one assisted</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Third Place Bracket</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Arlington Tigers rebounded from the Wednesday loss to win twice Thursday and take third place. The Tigers knocked off Summit in a tight 3-2 battle before beating Dobyns-Bennett, 3-0 in the final game at Siegel. Dobyns-Bennett knocked off Oakland earlier in the day to make it to the final game Thursday evening.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Championship Playmakers</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["939795"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1055501,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adc72c5e88db"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Garner earned the most valuable player honors for her all-around play. She once again put the Admiral hitters in position to succeed with her quick touches and mixed in deceptive setter dumps. Garner even used her size at the net to win jousts and team up well for big blocks. Garner even put across solid jump serves. Garner said a number of the players have been playing together since ages 10 or 11 so that's helped with team chemistry and familiarity with some new players to the team during club season aided that cause.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["946580"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1055504,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adc735fa74d3"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Fogle gave the Admirals reliable six-rotation play all tournament. Fogle tools blocks and comes up clutch when Franklin needs a big swing. Fogle sends across quality roll shots to the donut and attacks seams with precision. Fogle takes quality back row swings and paints back lines. Fogle is also reliable on defense with her first touches. Fogle said versatility helps spread out the offense more, crediting Garner for knowing who to set and when to set them with her IQ as a setter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["822945"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1055510,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adc7412d3a0c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The small things that players like Pennington do have added up to big wins all season. Pennington helps the Admirals control the net. Pennington sends over hard crosses and denies setter dumps from coming over the net. She gets a number of hands on balls at the net. Pennington said aggressive play at the net makes a huge difference and communication has been a focus there since the Showdown at the Sunsphere.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["831123"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1055517,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6adc7aa018b75"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Conner has been a nice force for the Hilltoppers all season. She uses her height well to smack across solid crosses and create space for her teammates. Conner is especially tough on go routes. Conner can make plays on first touches to generate a nice offensive rhythm for the Hilltoppers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Note from Writer</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for two and a half years and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigkentucky/#">prepdigkentucky</a>, @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigtennessee/#">prepdigtennessee</a> or @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigoh/#">prepdigoh</a> on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy, @PrepDigTN or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky, Tennessee or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky or Tennessee rankings, please email Mike at michaelgraham@prepdig.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount on yearly subscriptions, enter code graham30 at checkout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->