As Georgia High School Association volleyball region tournaments have gotten underway, the Marist War Eagles have once again found themselves heading into the semifinals as the number one seed after completing the regular season with a 31-6 regular season record and 9-0 in region play.
"I think they work really, really well together," Marist head coach, Leah Longoria said after the War Eagles win over Southwest Dekalb on Tuesday to advance to the final four round of the GHSA Class 4A, Region 5 tournament, crediting her players for their selflessness as a contributing factor to back to back seasons of 30 plus wins.
"There isn't one standout player kind of like what we've had in the past, it's all of them coming together, working hard everyday in practice, in our matches," Longoria said, praising the War Eagles for their efforts this season. "I just like that it's all of them putting everything together to make it happen," Longoria added.
And while the War Eagles have had successful seasons the past two years, their bid to reclaim their 14th state title in program history has come up short the last three seasons, however Longoria is hopeful the adversity her players had dealt with has strengthen them to make a strong state title push.
"They respond to adversity pretty well. I just don't think that they let the mistakes really get to them too much. They recover well in those moments," Longoria said when asked about her team dropping back to back matches just once this season. "So when it's bigger moments, like a match per say, they kind of just rally together and are able to overcome in those moments," Longoria said of the approach she has seen from her players, which they will need to carry through the playoffs.
And in order for the 2025 season to end in a manner in which the War Eagles are hopeful, Longoria believes Marist simply just needs to "be consistent" with their style of play. "Work hard when we're in the gym, overcome those tough moments that we have quickly, get out of our ruts fast," Longoria said. "But I think they're ready. They want another one, they seem eager for another one at this point," Longoria added.