FRANKLIN − The Franklin volleyball program has been battling to escape the TSSAA postseason for 11 years.
The wait is finally over, and in resounding fashion.
Franklin dominated Green Hill, 3-0, in a Class AAA volleyball sectional on Oct. 15 and advanced to the TSSAA volleyball state championships for the first time since 2015. Franklin will play Dobyns-Bennett in the state quarterfinals on 2:30 p.m., Oct. 20 at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro.
Franklin is riding a 23-game winning streak and is without a loss since Aug. 22. The Admirals are 30-1 and a perfect 14-0 in the highly competitive District 10-AAA.
"We have fought really hard all season long, and that has put us in a really good position," Franklin coach Makayla Beebe said.
Franklin has qualified for the state tournament fives times but has not won it. Now, with a team that includes four college recruits, three of whom are only juniors (Jorden Robinson, Ellyson Fogle, Emmy Garner, and senior Brynn Pennington), Franklin hopes the sixth time is the charm and the team is more prepared than ever. Many of the players have played together since fifth grade, building a connection on and off the court.
Beebe wants her team, with only five seniors on the roster, to "live in the moment ... not to be worried about the future, afterwards, past mistakes, or anything like that, just playing in the moment."
Surviving the gauntlet of District 10-AAA, one of the largest concentrations of volleyball talent in the state, has prepared the team to take the final steps.
"Everybody is coming for us, but were coming for them, too," said Robinson, a junior middle hitter headed to Wake Forest to play volleyball in 2028.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Franklin girls volleyball heading to TSSAA volleyball state tournament after 11-year wait