FRANKLIN
Traveling to Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the VHSL Division 1A Conference 41 Volleyball Tournament this past weekend, the Franklin High School Lady Broncos got an opening round win but fell in the semifinal round.

The Lady Broncos defeated the Sussex Central Lady Tigers in the quarterfinals 3-0, but fell against the Northampton Lady Yellowjackets in the semis.

“Our girls play better against harder teams and try harder,” Head Coach Faith Hewett said. “We did take the lead three times against Northampton. They put forth the effort, but it was not enough to gain a win.”

In the TriRivers District, senior Brianna Karmilovich, junior Josie Rankin and sophomore Catherine Brown earned an honorable mention for the all-district teams.

In Conference 41, Karmilovich made the first team. Rankin made the conference’s second team. Brown and Gabby Wade-Bell received honorable mentions for their conference play.

“I was very excited,” said Brown. “It was my first year on varsity, so it was a big accomplishment for me. I gained a lot of experience from Coach Hewett and have improved a lot since last year.”

Wade-Bell said she was surprised to get mentioned for awards.

“I felt like I played my hardest — I played my best all season, but I was not expecting to get recognized,” she said. “I was pretty excited.”

Karmilovich said she thought it was great honor for her senior season.

“I was really happy and excited,” she said. “I did not expect to be honored.”

With it being a rebuilding season, Rankin was happy with just being considered. She was still thinking about some games that went the wrong way.

“I wanted us to do better,” Rankin said. “There were some teams that we could have beat, but we just didn’t.”

Wade-Bell said going back a year or two, the Franklin girls were used to doing better.

“It was a challenge coming from a team that was used to winning to one that did not win a lot,” she said. “It was a change, but it was also a great season. We got an opportunity to grow and work on our weaknesses.

“I want to have more spikes next season, as well as more digs — become a more well-rounded player.”

Wade-Bell said she’d be trying out for travel basketball, and wasn’t thinking about spring sports.

From the first of the season to the last, Brown said she could see a big improvement from the team.

“We really grew as a team,” she said. “I think we could have done a lot better, but we still had a good season. Next year, we just need to keep rebuilding and hopefully get some more wins.”

As a senior, Karmilovich will be moving on, but she was still proud of what they accomplished despite the low number of wins.

“We were rebuilding from the bottom up, and I was really proud of everybody,” she said. “Everyone came a long way.”

As far as next season, Karmilovich did have some advice.

“Honestly, just enjoy it,” said Karmilovich, who is looking to attend the College of William and Mary. “I was sometimes too into the logistics to have fun and enjoy it.”