Consistency and dedication keep Jackson County volleyball on top despite Elite Eight loss

Jackson County volleyball completed its best season in five years on Wednesday night.

The Panthers fell to Milton, 1-3, in the Elite Eight, ending the fall 2024 schedule with a 40-7 record. This is the most wins they've ever tallied in a single season, and the furthest they've been in GHSA state playoffs since their run to the Final Four in 2019, where they lost 3-0 to Westminster.

"We definitely came into this offseason a little bitter about last year," Jackson County coach Ron Fowler said. "You know, being region runner-up, keep getting knocked out in the Sweet 16. We were like, 'Alright, we've got to take it a step further. We've got to get back to the Elite Eight, make that run again.' So definitely, we're happy to have been back, happy to have had a chance to host in front of a phenomenal crowd. Unfortunately, we just got beat by a really good Milton team tonight."

Since his return in 2020, Fowler has created an air of consistency, dedication and passion in the JC volleyball program. Alongside his wife, who decided to step back from coaching this year to help with their own kids, the Fowlers have racked up a 147-48 record in five seasons.

This is their second act at Jackson County. The couple took a two-year gap during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, which they spent at Colquitt County. They say it was the "worst decision we ever made," leaving the Panthers in the first place, and "when (athletic director Brad) Hayes called us and offered our jobs back, we came running ."

The reason: community.

"I mean, you saw the atmosphere tonight," Fowler said, gesturing to the slowly emptying gym as his girls took down the net at center court. "We have a great crowd, great support from the staff and administration here, the teachers that take care of the kids when we're not around in the classrooms, just everything about it. And of course, the girls. I love coming in here every day and playing a small part in them playing better and being successful."

Junior libero Ava Lesniak described Fowler as "hilarious."

"He's the coach where, you could see him in the hallway and he'll just crack a joke at you," she said. "I think, something you like to see from a coach, is them not constantly getting mad at you. Fowler, he has a good balance. He will be mad when its reasonable, when its right to be mad. He's very uplifting, he knows what he's talking about, and he loves building this family. Like, every underclassman we bring in, he welcomes them with open arms. He just wants them to love the game of volleyball."

When you think of a Fowler-led team, you think of a team that plays hard all the time. At least, that's what he wants you to think of them, because they really do. In the fourth set of Wednesday's match, they were down 24-16 at one point to Milton, but the Panthers managed to rally back 24-22 to give themselves a chance.

"I just hope that, when people see that, they'll say, 'Oh, they're going to play the game the right way, they're going to play the game hard, they're going to keep the pressure on,'" Fowler said.

"This is probably the most connected we've been as a team," Lesniak said. "I'm really proud of everyone and how we worked so hard this season, because it takes a lot to get this far and honestly, with the family we've built here and all the effort that goes into this team, it's made this season one of the best for me."

These girls are winners, even if it says otherwise on paper, because they stay consistent. The culture around Jackson County volleyball is what keeps them returning to the state playoffs year after year, even if they haven't claimed a so-badly desired title quite yet.

Fowler said they're already planning to meet in the coming weeks to discuss plan of attack for next year, especially since they're losing one of their top players in senior outside hitter Paisley Gillespie.

They'll go off to their clubs after that and he won't see them in the gym until the spring when tryouts roll around.

"These girls love volleyball," Fowler said. "It all comes back to that. We've built a volleyball culture here that I think we can sustain for many years to come. We're a young team. We're playing four sophomores and a freshman right now, and we had another freshman that came up and had a huge impact in the region championship win. We have all the key pieces coming back, minus Paisley, so the future is definitely bright here."

"We just wanted to get better every day," Gillespie said. "A lot of people want to win, and that's on our list too, but we want to improve. That's building our program from day one to the end and then building it for the next year and continuing to improve and get better. We want to win, yes, winning is great, but above all, we want to improve."

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Consistency and dedication keep Jackson County volleyball on top despite Elite Eight loss