PCA head coach Shelly Kaiser with team captains (L) Ava Brown and (R) Cokey Suddeth

By David Shelton Senior Writer Charleston – With the regular season winding down, the fall sports teams and athletes at Ashley Hall are gearing up for the 2024 SCISA postseason. By the first of November, SCISA will have crowned state champions in all of their fall sports, except for football. Thus, the athletes at Ashley Hall are laser focused on being at their best in crunch time. The volleyball program has won 12 state championships and is almost always among the last teams standing in the playoff bracket. While teams like Cardinal Newman and Porter-Gaud are routinely winning the state title in SCISA over the last decade, Ashley Hall continues to be a competitive team. As of Oct. 4, Ashley Hall had posted an overall record of 10-14-2 against a highly competitive non-region schedule that includes many of the state’s top teams. The Panthers split their first six region contests. Again leading the team this fall is returning all-state setter Charlotte Strickland . The junior has nearly 450 assists and 200 digs this season. She now has 2.370 career assists. Sophomore Liza Hood leads the team in kills with 156 while also recording 130 digs. Senior Spencer Edgerton has 130 kills and 17 blocks in the middle while Ellen Lesemann adds 65 kills and 20 blocks.  Among the defensive leaders are Iris Stiegman (240 digs), Parker Gragg (123 digs) and Amelia Finnegan (108 digs). Leading the way this fall on the cross country team is Natalie Bennett . Ireland Evans-Langdale , Eliza Willis , Nyla Jenkins and Lilla Hand also have competed among the top five for most of the fall. Sophia Schauer , Bryn Wildstein and Na’Zyia Jenkins add depth and look to contend for one of the top five positions. The cross country team has run nearly 10 events this fall and competed in the Lowcountry Invitational meet, one of the state’s largest and most competitive regular season meets, on Sept. 30. Bennett was Ashley Hall’s top finisher, running in 62 nd place overall. The tennis team was a state finalist in 2023 and aims for another shot at the title. The tennis playoffs were slated to begin on Oct. 8. Members of the team this fall include seniors Nina Abracos-O’Neel ; juniors Adeline Kreise , Emma Kate Schimming , Madeline Schimming , Kate Strenck , Lily Sloan , Grace Taylor and Emma Tedford ; sophomores Gigi Powell and Lillie Jackson ; freshmen Charlotte Guffey and Bella Gray McCurry ; and eighth-grader Bridgette DeWolf .

Charleston – There has not been a lot of turnover among the Ashley Hall coaching staff over the years but change is going to happen sometimes. For many years, the athletic coaching roster at Ashley Hall was full of names that had been with the school for decades. Things have changed a bit in recent years as coaches have moved into retirement but there remains one constant. Athletic director and volleyball coach Franny Slay is closing on 40 years at the school, and even more than that if you include her time as an athlete. Slay is set to begin her 40th year as the volleyball coach at Ashley Hall in 2024, a tenure that includes 32 years as the athletic director. Slay’s importance to the volleyball program as well as the athletic program cannot be understated. In volleyball, the coach has amassed a career record of 839-350 heading into the 2024 season. That record includes 12 SCISA state championships and 10 state runner-up trophies. She also led the school to four championships (1988. 1989, 1991, 1993) in the Palmetto Athletic Conference prior to the school joining SCISA. But volleyball is far from the only successful sport at Ashley Hall. Under Slay’s guidance, Ashley Hall has won several state titles in cross country, track, and tennis while also competing at a state level in swimming, lacrosse, soccer, golf, sailing, archery and equestrian. Slay recently a few coaching changes for the upcoming 2024-25 school year. While the spring sports coaching roster is still being finalized, Slay has her fall sports coaching staff in place for 2024. Returning as the assistant athletic director is Christian Alcantara, who also coaches the soccer team in the spring. A new coach in golf this fall is Paige Crafton, with Kevin Lyden serving as an assistant. Cassidy Rindge returns for her second season as the swim coach and she is assisted by Missee Fox. Charlotte Hartsock will again lead the tennis program. The Panthers won the state title in 2022 and was the state runner-up last fall. She is assisted by Catherine Owens. Samantha Schuster and Tyler Vasko will coach the junior varsity team. Jeff Ward will head up cross country, assisted by Maret Elgren and Damian Cole. Cyndi Simpson returns as the equestrian coach while Kate O’Donnell and Sarah Schaill run the sailing program. Slay returns as the volleyball head coach and also coaches the junior varsity team. She is assisted by Donya Amer. Lyric Scott coaches the eighth-grade team and Halee Van Poppel works with the seventh-grade team. Sallie Gray Clayton coaches the sixth-grade team and Marc Simpson and Kevin Lyden work with the fifth-graders.

Charleston – Ashley Hall’s success in athletics has been well-documented over the last few decades and the school continues to thrive in their athletic endeavors. As is customary, the official end to the athletic year at Ashley Hall is the athletic awards banquet. The event recognizes the top performers in each sport and those athletes were recently honored in late May. In varsity volleyball, Charlotte Strickland was the most valuable player and was recognized as the region co-player of the year. Annie Goldstein, Anna Strickland and Jen Fermo also were all-region selections. Spencer Edgerton was the most improved player and Anna Strickland received the coach’s award. The tennis team was the state runner-up in the 2023 season. Lily Sloan was the most valuable player and Grace Taylor was most improved. Emma Tedford received the coach’s award and Mattie Laney posted the best record. Tedford, Sloan, Martha Rivers and Emorie Stockton received all-region honors. Kate Coker was the most valuable runner in cross country and was an all-state performer. Violet David was most improved and Gemma Williams received the coach’s award. For swimming, Carson Hyder was most valuable and Tatum Eisner was most improved. Selena Ruiz Luna earned the coach’s award. Kirsten Marshall was the MVP in golf with Gabby Anderson taking most improved honors. Waring Cantey earned the coach’s award. Ellie Grek was most valuable rider on the equestrian team. Taylor Issa was most improved rider and Mac Heinemann received the coach’s award. In sailing, Waring Cantey was most valuable sailor and Nettie Carter was most improved. Mary Wade Brewer received the coaches award. For basketball, Gates McCants received the Panther award and was a SCISA all-star game selection. Lavinia Maybank was most improved player and Mattie Laney earned the coach’s award. The most valuable performer in archery was Ruby Ghatnekar with Selena Ruiz Luna receiving the Panther award. Ella Thompson received the coach’s award. In lacrosse, the MVP was Caroline Copenhaver and Shila Sniderman was most improved. Cissy O’Donnell received the coach’s award and Sims Wadley earned all-region honors. Anna Strickland was the MVP for the soccer team and also was a SCISA all-star game selection. Kate Coker was the most improved player and Martha Rivers earned the coach’s award. All three players also received all-region awards. In track, Natalie Bennett was most improved and Madison Middleton was the top athlete. Na’Zya Jenkins received the coach’s award. Middleton (high jump), Bennett (3200) and Audrey Fennelly (triple jump) were recognized as region champions. The 3200 meter relay team earned a bronze medal at the SCISA Class AAAA state meet. Those runners included Bennett, Natalie Cina, Eliza Groat and Nyla Jenkins.

Charleston – Playing in a conference that includes two of the state’s powerhouses, wins can be hard to come by for the Ashley Hall soccer team. Add in a difficult slate of non-region games against bigger public schools, and the Panthers certainly have to scratch and claw for whatever success comes their way. The 2024 regular season is complete and Ashley Hall’s record of 7-10 does not look that bad in its totality. Coach Christian Alcantara has seen his team improve and develop throughout the spring with only three seniors in the starting lineup. The only goal remaining for this season is to earn a spot in the SCISA AAAA state playoffs. Getting a postseason win would cap off the season. “This group has a solid balance of skill, athleticism, and experience and we expect that to help us reach the second round of playoffs this year,” the coach reports. Four of Ashley Hall’s losses came to state powers Pinewood Prep and Porter-Gaud, losing twice to each program. The region foes played each other for the state title last season and Pinewood Prep has won the last two state titles. The Panthers also lost to three SCHSL Class AAAAA programs, falling to Spartanburg, Stratford and Cane Bay, and suffered another loss to AAAA public school Bluffton during the regular season. The three starting senior leaders this spring are forward Martha Rivers, defensive back Anna Strickland, and goalkeeper Abby White. Joining Rivers up front as offensive threats are junior Kate Coker and sophomore Catherine Clark. Anchoring the midfield area are juniors Iris Steigman and Dia Timko, along with freshman newcomer Molly Mettler. Joining Strickland as a leader in the back are three eighth-graders – Gray Phillips, Annie Morrison and Wells Phillips. Timko and Catherine Perkins also perform key roles as defenders. Lynden Taylor and Eliza Willis are two newcomers that have been able to contribute this spring.