Falcons no longer a surprise; neither are all-area player Bebeau and coach Christian

By Karl Lyles - klyles@heraldonline.com

The Herald's all-area volleyball player and coach of the year are both from Nation Ford — outside hitter Sara Bebeau and first-year coach Carrie Christian. Both the player and coach had a good feeling about the team before the season started.

Nation Ford steadily climbed the state's Class AAAA rankings throughout the year. The team opened some eyes early in the season when they beat Rock Hill 3-0 on the road on Sept. 10. Rock Hill was a top-10 team all season.

The Falcons went on to win the Region 3-AAAA regular-season title without a mark in the loss column, then beat Spring Valley and Boiling Springs 3-0 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. In the third round, they hosted perennial power Hillcrest and won 3-1.

The Upper State championship was on the road at Dorman. The Cavaliers won that match 3-0 and went on to take their 11th state title.

Nation Ford finished 26-4 and was slotted at No. 4 in the final prepcountry.com state poll.

Bebeau, a 5-foot-10 junior, finished the season with more than 300 kills and 200 digs.

“I definitely knew this school had a lot of talent,” Christian said.

Christian already knew some of the players from club teams with which she is involved. She came to Nation Ford after five seasons at Charlotte Country Day School.

Bebeau won an award this season through the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and the Web site MaxPreps.com as the Player of the Week for South Carolina.

While a majority of the all-area team is made up of seniors (nine of 16 members), Nation Ford placed four underclassmen on the team. Bebeau was joined by Ally Lambert, Sheila Walsh and Caylee Antilley. They all will return next season, and Nation Ford will be among the favorites to compete for a state championship.

“We knew having a new coach would help,” Bebeau said. “We know we will improve more next year.”

“They are a great group of girls. I couldn't be more proud of them,” Christian said.