Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week: Daniel helps lift Lady Generals to first-round upset

Lindsay Daniel and the Thomas Sumter Academy volleyball team opened the SCISA 2A playoffs as underdogs.

TSA was seeded third and facing off against Carolina Forest, who was seeded second. The Lady Generals were not only able to get the upset, but they did so in just two sets.

Daniel played a major role in the win. Her performance also helped her win the public vote as the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week.

"I am so thankful for my Thomas Sumter community," Daniel said. "They have always supported me in all of the many activities I do. They really are my extended family, and for them to rally behind me and vote me as athlete of the week is so humbling."

Daniel and the Lady Generals took control of the match against Carolina Academy early, winning the first set 25-15. The second set proved to be a challenge, but TSA was able to grind out a 25-23 win to advance to the second round.

It got a little tougher for Thomas Sumter after the first round, as they ran into the eventual 2A state champs in the second. TSA was bumped into the loser's bracket after being swept by Spartanburg Christian. The Lady Generals put up a fight in their first match, but three matches in a day wore them down. TSA lost a grinding three-set match with Colleton Prep to end their playoff run.

"We started off the day with such a good attitude," Daniel said. "We all had so much energy, and we were just excited to try to surprise a few teams, which we did in our very first game.

"We were a little more nervous for our second game, but we really held our own against the eventual state champions. It was hard to not just physically recoup from that loss, but also to mentally and emotionally come back from the tough game."

Daniel finished the weekend with 13 kills, 16 digs and two aces for the Lady Generals.

She was also named All-Region for her performance over the course of the season. She's been able to star for Thomas Sumter despite having to balance volleyball with another school activity, cheer. While it's not always easy, Daniel loves to represent Thomas Sumter in multiple ways.

"To be honest, it is challenging having two practices every day," Daniel said. "It's hard to have to pick between the two because I am so dedicated to both. This past weekend, I had to miss the football game because I was playing volleyball. I hated to do it, but I knew the state tournament came first. It's just challenging having to dedicate 100% of your time and effort to two sports at the same time."

It may be challenging, but Daniel was glad she was able to commit to her final season of volleyball.

She has seen the ups and downs of the Thomas Sumter volleyball program. In 2017, Daniel was with the Lady Generals when they played for a state title, but TSA struggled to follow up on that success. Daniel was happy to finish off her career with another playoff berth.

"It is super exciting to see the volleyball program turn back around. Logan Scruggs and I have been through the ups and downs. Just four years ago, we were at the state championship game," Daniel said. "To see how our teammates have put in the work, we were excited to play this year and it paid off.

"It was just exciting to make it to the playoffs, and to win in the first round was just an extra for us. It has been a great eight years of Thomas Sumter volleyball!"