Girl's Volleyball | 10/21/2025 6:03:00 PM

Mt. Pleasant, SC – Winning state titles is a way of life at Oceanside Collegiate Academy for Landsharks athletics teams. That statement is true for the OCA girls' volleyball team, which captured back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022.
 
The Landsharks (21-4) will be looking to add to their trophy case when the girls' volleyball team begins play in the SCHSL AAA Tournament on Wednesday night when they host Marlboro County (0-11) in the first round of the playoffs. OCA enters the tournament ranked No. 2 in the state in Class AAA by MaxPreps.
 
Oceanside is ranked behind only Mountain View Prep (28-2) out of Spartanburg, which reached the Upper State Championship last year, in its first year of play, before falling to eventual state champion Powdersville.
 
OCA head coach Jennifer Fort is in her fifth year leading the Landsharks' girls' program, said her team is ready for the challenge of the state playoffs.
 
"We are ready to play," Fort said. "We haven't played since October 9 and, while we appreciate having the time off to rest and practice, we are ready to play someone else."
 
Assuming the Landsharks defeat winless Marlboro County on Wednesday, OCA would host the winner of the match between Loris (11-7) and Newberry (0-13) next Monday with a third-round match scheduled for October 29. The Lower State championship match is scheduled for November 4 and would also be played at OCA if the Landsharks advance that far.
 
The state championship match for Class AAA is set for Saturday, November 8, at 4:30 p.m. at Dreher High School in Columbia.
 
Fort said that the level of confidence her team is carrying into the playoffs is a notch above what the team had last year.
 
"The team chemistry this year has been the best that I've seen it, and this is my fifth year at Oceanside, so they're very cohesive and they're very supportive of each other," Fort said. "I can't believe I can say this, especially this late in the season, but there really hasn't been any drama on this team this year.
 
"It's unheard of in my mind. Sometimes the head coach is the last to know, but they just seem to really enjoy each other's company. I attribute that to the leadership. Our captains are Ellie Burgess and Brianna Bowman and both just have the same goal - they want to win, to go out as seniors and win a state championship."
 
To return to the state title match, Fort said she sees region foe Orangeburg-Wilkinson as the biggest challenger, even though the Landsharks defeated O-W twice this year. The Bears (18-3) are the No. 2 seed on the other side of the Lower State bracket with Fox Creek High (17-9) as the No. 1 seed on that side.
 
"Orangeburg has a very hard-nosed type of team that just seems to find a way to get the ball over the net whether it is in a deep corner or anywhere else on the floor," Fort said. "They have some great athletes on their team, and it is always fun competition against them. Even though we beat them twice, the games in those matches were close."
 
The Landsharks' captains – Burgess, a setter, and Bowman, and outside hitter – lead the team by example and by being vocal on the floor.
 
"One is very focused and kind of just the bull in a China shop, which is great because she always has the attitude of 'We're going do this.' Brianna is super-competitive and a no-nonsense player. She is focused on getting in and getting out with the win as quickly as possible.
 
"Ellie is more fun and inclusive. She is a little more laid-back and, in stressful moments, tries to lighten the mood a little so everyone can play their game and have confidence without freaking out. That kind of dichotomy has really been awesome this year."
 
Besides the two captains, the Landsharks have four other seniors and five juniors who came close to tasting a championship last year. The seniors include Jovie Smith, an outside hitter, Libero Avery Bell, defensive specialist BrooksAnn Burger and right-side hitter Athena Bold.
 
"Avery is new to Oceanside this year and has been an absolute impact player," Fort said. "She came here from West Ashley, and she silently became a defensive leader at Libero, and she has been our Libero all season. I can't say enough about her contributions. She is a quiet leader, but still absolutely impactful and supportive and, one the court, she is a great communicator, which has been huge for us."
 
The juniors on the squad include middle hitter Amiya Stevens, right side Lauren Hagmeyer, setter Mackenzie Kiddy, setter Maddie Scott and defensive specialist Reagan Williams. Sophomores on the team this year include middle hitter Jada McKinney, defensive specialist Jillian Boylston, defensive specialist Finley Bork and outside hitter Eden Abney.
 
The OCA roster also includes a pair of freshmen, outside hitter Payton Moorman and right-side Andrea Harnig.
 
"Payton has been an impact player all year and is going to go all the way to the top," Fort said. "We have had college coaches sitting at all our home games this year because of her. Some from big schools. It is crazy to me that we have a freshman among our top six rotation players. She has the poise and the stature of a senior.
 
"I'm so excited to watch her continue to grow in her game and become and incredible, incredible athlete."
 
Fort said the emphasis coming into this season was on improving as a defensive club.
 
"We're so blessed to have so many players who can hit from the outside and hit from the right side or go into the middle, and that is nice," Fort said. "When we started to look at going deeper into the playoffs and seeing the potential matchups, we knew we had to make sure we have the right kind of matchups on the floor.
 
"We focused on our defense more than ever before and I think that defensive focus, along with our serve and receive, has really been stellar all year. Once you get that first pass up, it really opens our offense to run a quicker tempo attack. That is going to continue to be our strategy going into the playoffs."
 
The Landsharks prepared for the competition they will face in the state tournament by playing in a pair of big in-season events where they faced a number of teams from higher classifications.
 
"We were fortunate to play in the North South Tournament because we had never been invited to that event before," Fort said. "That gave us some great competition against teams like Cardinal Newman and other ranked teams, and that was great competition. They we played in the Tournament of Champions at Dorman. Those two events really helped us grow and get ready for the playoffs. We played a lot of 5A schools, and we were excited about the opportunity."
 
The opportunity to play in those events should pay dividends over the next two weeks as the Landsharks pursue their first title in four years.

About Oceanside Collegiate Academy: Oceanside Collegiate Academy (OCA), located in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., serves high school students in a safe, small and family-centered setting. Our students seek the opportunity and challenge of rigorous curriculum, high academic standards and elite athletics while earning up to two years of college credit. OCA serves students in grades 9-12 using an honors curriculum in 9th and 10 grades with a dual enrollment curriculum in 11th and 12th grades Learn more about OCA by visiting our website at OceansideCollegiate.Academy and by following us on social media on Facebook, Instagram and X. For video content, visit our YouTube channel.