Reames leads Lee Central to crucial region wins on way to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

The Lee Central volleyball team is putting together something special.

For the first time, the Lady Stallions are undefeated in region play with three matches left. Right at the center of that push is Hannah Reames.

Last week, she led LCHS to a pair of region wins. The first was a major hurdle as they beat Andrews for the first time. They followed with a comfortable win over Kingstree.

Reames led the way with some powerful offense, winning the Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week in the process.

"I love all the support," Reames said of the Lee Central community that rallied behind her.

Head coach Jalisa Williams saw a different side of Reames last week.

"She was more locked in during practices," Williams said. "Hannah is more on the jokey side, so she's always laughing and joking and goofing around. To see her shift into being serious, I knew what time it was."

The match with Andrews finished as a sweep, but it was far from simple. The Lady Stallions survived the first set 25-19. In the second set, they battled to the very end, but Reames was able to spike the final point home for a 25-22 win. With momentum on their side, they finished the win with a 25-16 victory in the third. Reams finished with seven kills, four aces and seven digs for the Lady Stallions.

"I just had to lock in because I knew it was a big game," Reames said. "It was real nerve-wracking. There were some good rallies. I had to get a lot of big kills. The serves (were the difference).

"It meant a lot; it was a big game because we'd never beaten them before."

Williams said the leadership Reames showed was crucial in the win.

"That said a lot about her being able to focus because they feed off her," Williams said of Reames, who added another 10 kills and two aces against Kingstree on Thursday. "The energy comes from when she's up. Having her get those major kills at crucial points, that gave the team the energy boost that was needed."

The Lady Stallions have now improved to 13-1, including a perfect mark in region play. Reames said that success was built off a strong offseason together.

"It got way better over the summer," Reames said. "We just bonded as a team and connected at practice and outside of practice."

The Lady Stallions haven't quite clinched the region yet, but they are well on their way. Lee Central is 5-0 against Region VIII-2A with three games to play. They'll start with a trip to Marion next Tuesday before hosting Andrews for a rematch the following Thursday.

Williams has seen this group grow so much during the last few seasons, and she's ready to see them make history with their first region title.

"I got them when they were really young. This group had been playing together since they were freshmen, we went through the pandemic, and after getting through that, we just put in the work," Williams said. "We've worked hard all summer and in the offseason. They just put in the work, and it's showing."

While Reames is ready to finish off a region title, she doesn't plan to stop there.

"I think we can make it all the way through and win a championship," Reames said. "It would mean a lot. We're making history."