Sports

Savannah Apex Takes the Court for Preseason Scrimmage

CoachJuly 25, 2026

Savannah Apex Volleyball kicked off its preseason by traveling to Faith Baptist Christian Academy for a scrimmage with Long County High School.

Thank you to Faith Baptist Christian Academy for hosting and inviting us. The evening gave both our JV and Varsity teams a chance to put their summer training into action before our first official season. With three teams on the court, each matchup was two timed sets. Savannah Apex played four matches in total: two for JV and two for Varsity. The night had a bit of everything: JV went undefeated, Varsity played together with a full roster for the first time, some players took on extra roles, and there was a memorable 14-point comeback.

JV Goes Undefeated

Savannah Apex JV had an excellent start to the season. JV started against Long County High School and won both sets 2–0, then repeated the sweep against Faith Baptist Christian Academy. This gave JV a perfect 4–0 record in sets for the night.

JV was missing a player who was out of town, so Varsity players Alexis Cutler (#13) and Kayleigh Grier (#4) stepped in to help.

Kayleigh played as outside hitter, and Alexis made a big impact serving. Both ended up playing eight sets each between JV and Varsity.

Alexis served for 16 points in the JV matches, while Kayleigh finished with 6 kills and 9 aces. Liv ran the JV offense with 18 assists across the two matches. She also showed she could be an offensive threat herself, recording 5 kills without an attack error.

Kennedy Martinez (#27) had a well-rounded night with 4 kills, 4 aces, and 9 digs, and handled 21 serve-receive attempts. She finished with no attack errors.

Sarah Grace James (#24) also played clean offensively, recording 4 kills without an attack error, while Tatum Smith (#32) added 5 kills and Elise Purifoy (#37) contributed 2 kills. Emma DiFabio (#28) contributed 4 aces and 7 digs, went a perfect 3-for-3 in serve receive, and served 12 times without an error.

Serving was a major strength for JV. Along with Kayleigh’s 9 aces, Alexis had 10, Emma added 4, and Kennedy contributed 4.

JV Team Totals — Both Matches

26 kills
18 assists
31 aces
39 successful digs
85 attack attempts
13 attack errors
98 serve attempts
49 successful serve receives on 51 attempts
4–0 in sets

It was a balanced first outing for JV as they continue learning to play as a team. The wins were great, but watching their communication, serving, and confidence grow was even better.

JV Preseason Results
vs. Long County HS — 2–0
vs. Faith Baptist Christian Academy — 2–0
Overall: 4–0 in sets

Varsity Finally Takes the Court Together

Varsity’s night was a different experience. This scrimmage was the first time our full Varsity roster played together on the court. It wasn’t just their first game together. It was the first time they had all been together at all.

Because of summer travel, camps, and other commitments, we hadn’t practiced with every Varsity player present. Their first chance to see how everyone fit together was during this scrimmage. That’s as real as a first practice can be.

Varsity opened against Long County High School, splitting the two sets 1–1.
The second set gave us a moment we’ll remember for a long time.

Down 14 Points and Battling Back

Apex found itself down by 14 points in the second set against Long County. For a team playing together for the first time, it would have been easy to lose the set. They didn’t.

Alexis Cutler went to the service line and helped turn the momentum of the set. Alexis served for 11 points during the comeback, and Apex fought back from a 14-point deficit to win the set.

Alexis had a great night serving. She had already helped JV with 16 points before moving on to play Varsity. Across JV and Varsity, Alexis played eight sets and served for 27 points.

Kayleigh Grier also played eight sets, first as outside hitter for JV and then with Varsity. That kind of effort and willingness to help wherever needed is what Savannah Apex Volleyball is all about.

For Varsity, making a 14-point comeback on their first night together showed something you can’t always see in the stats. They’re ready to fight.

Varsity by the Numbers

After splitting with Long County, Varsity faced host Faith Baptist Christian Academy, falling 0–2 and finishing the night 1–3 in sets. But there were still plenty of individual highlights to build on. Aubrey Gerke (#6) led the Varsity attack with 11 kills while also contributing 14 successful digs and 2 aces. She also recorded a solo block.

Clemy Baladi (#20) was right behind her offensively with 10 kills, including a strong performance against Faith Baptist with 5 kills on 14 attempts and no attack errors. Clemy also added a solo block.

Abigail Stephens (#19) was one of the most efficient attackers of the night, finishing with 5 kills and ZERO attack errors across both matches.

Reagan Martinez (#21) directed the Varsity offense with 26 assists — 13 against Long County and 13 against Faith Baptist. She also added 3 aces and 9 successful digs.

Sophia Paxton (#2) helped anchor the backcourt with 14 digs and 27 successful serve receives on 28 attempts, including a perfect 23-for-23 against Faith Baptist.

Kayleigh Grier (#4) added 4 kills, 3 aces, and 10 successful digs for Varsity after already playing four sets at outside hitter with JV.

Alexis Cutler (#13) finished the Varsity matches with 7 successful digs in addition to her game-changing work from the service line.

Zoe Hauger (#16) contributed 2 kills and a block touch.

Alexandria Dearman (#0) added 8 digs and an ace while going a perfect 7-for-7 in serve receive.

Varsity Team Totals — Both Matches

32 kills
26 assists
11 aces
65 successful digs
157 attack attempts
21 attack errors
.070 team hitting percentage
4 solo blocks
14 block touches
47 credited points
1–3 in sets

Varsity’s defense stood out, with 65 digs over four sets—an average of 16.25 per set. For a team still learning to play together, there was a lot to take away from the night.

Varsity Preseason Results
vs. Long County HS — 1–1
vs. Faith Baptist Christian Academy — 0–2
Overall: 1–3 in sets

More Than Just the Final Score

Preseason is meant to show where you stand, what’s working, and what still needs improvement. This scrimmage did exactly that.

JV finished undefeated at 4–0 in sets, with a strong all-around performance that included 26 kills and 31 aces. Varsity ended with a 1–3 set record, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. This group had never played together as a full roster before, yet still erased a 14-point deficit to win a set.

We saw players step outside their usual roles to help the team. Alexis Cutler and Kayleigh Grier each played eight sets, first with JV and then right away with Varsity. Setters ran the offense, hitters started making connections, defenders kept rallies going, and everyone learned how to compete together. There were things to love. There were also things to work on. Most importantly, as we prepare for our first season, we finally got to see Savannah Apex Volleyball in action. And this is just the beginning.

Thank you again to Faith Baptist Christian Academy for hosting and inviting us, and to Long County High School for joining us for a great night of preseason volleyball.

Our first scrimmage is officially in the books.

Go Apex!

You can watch all our matches on YouTube -> @CoachStacyVB