MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | The Mountain Lions opened the 2025 volleyball season, heading to the home of Georgia College & State University to compete in the Bobcat Classic. Young Harris used a strong day two to finish the Bobcat Classic with a record of 2-2 to kick off the season.  

QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH GINNY HOWARD:
"We knew the Bobcat Classic would bring strong competition—exactly what we want heading into conference play. This weekend, we had something to prove, and we did just that, finishing 2-0 on Saturday with a five-set battle against Albany State and a four-set win over Emory & Henry. It was a true team effort from start to finish, and we're excited to carry that momentum into next weekend at Lander."

Game One: (Rollins College) 

• YHC Volleyball fell short in game one (3-1). 

• Young Harris dropped the first two sets (25-13 and 27-25). 

• The Mountain Lions fought back to take set three (25-15) before losing in set four (25-10). 

• Abby Schirm shined for Young Harris with 12 kills and 2 aces. 

• Lyza Thigpen recorded 14 assists, and Linsey Burke recorded 11 digs in the match. 

Game Two: (Georgia College & State University)

• The Mountain Lions fell in the final set to GCSU (3-2). 

• YHC took the first two sets over the Bobcats (25-21 and 25-14). 

• The Bobcats came back and took the next two sets over the Mountain Lions (25-15 and 25-20). 

• YHC fought hard in the final set, ultimately falling short by the score of 16-14. 

• Abby Schirm (21) and Hannah Depp (15) recorded the most kills for YH. 

• Lyza Thigpen (16) and Linsey Burke (14) recorded assists for the Mountain Lions. 

Game Three: (Albany State University)

• The Mountain Lions emerged victorious in the third game of the Bobcat Classic (3-2). 

• YH took set one (25-16) before falling in the next two sets (25-23 and 25-22) to ASU. 

• Young Harris would take the final two sets (25-14 and 15-13) to achieve their first win of the 2025 season.  

• Abby Schirm (19), Hannah Depp (12) and Kathryn Urbanek (8) led the scoring for YH. 

• Lauren DeSilets and Alexa Berry each recorded three blocks in the match. 

• Linsey Burke (20) and Lyza Thigpen (18) led in assists for the Mountain Lions. 

• Kellyn French recorded 11 digs in the match. 

Game Four: (Emory and Henry University)

• YH Volleyball would head home victorious in game four (3-1). 

• The Mountain Lions took the first two sets (25-19 and 25-18) over Emory and Henry. 

• Emory and Henry would take the third set 25-18.  

• YH bounced back and took set four (25-22) to win the match. 

• Abby Schirm recorded 18 kills and 10 digs to lead the Mountain Lions. 

• Linsey Burke recorded 18 assists, and Lyza Thigpen added another 14 assists in game four. 

UP NEXT:

The Mountain Lions will return to action Thursday, September 11th when they travel to Greenwood, SC to compete in the Redderson Invitational.