How these Savannah-area sisters are carrying on family volleyball tradition

Finn and Torrin Higginbotham of Savannah Arts are sisters with volleyball in their blood, as their mother, Kim Obiala, who played at the University of Tennessee, passed along her passion for the game.

Their love for the sport is evident at Panther practices as they work out with what seems like carefree style.

But there's a competitive fire not far from the surface that defines, Finn, a 6-foot-2 senior middle blocker, and Torrin, a 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter. They were key players behind the Panthers first ever run to the Class 2A Final Four last season as Savannah Arts set a school record with a 40-5 record.

"Finn is a wonderful student athlete to coach — she has this spunk and determination and is so focused and she brings a lot of hype to our team," Savannah Arts coach Lauren Lord said. "And Torrin is the same way. She brings so much energy and is an aggressive hitter. They both are great mentors for our younger players and leaders of our team."

Lord said the sisters have an easy-going vibe, but also have a killer instinct that makes them so valuable on the court.

"They are very sister like, and they like to goof off and pick on each other a little bit at practices. They like to compete with each other too, but they have that love for each other," Lord said.

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Finn was named the Region 3-2A Offensive Player of the Year last season when she racked up 282 kills with 86 aces, 64 blocks and 73 digs. Torrin was also an All-Region first-team selection. She had 225 kills, 145 aces, 21 blocks and 73 digs.

"We're super close as sisters, but we're competitive too," said Finn Higginbotham. "Even though we play different positions, we want to get the most kills, and if she gets more blocks I'm going to hear about it on the car ride home."

Torrin said she looks up to Finn, and loves being able to play on the same team as her sister.

"Finn is our leader this season, I'm a leader too, but it's her senior year and she's doing a great job with that," Torrin said. "I think I'm a tad bit more competitive. I try to stay positive when the game gets tight, and I'm never going to stop swinging. I'm always going to go for it."

The sisters say their mother is their biggest fan and has a positive influence on their games.

"My mom played at Tennessee and played her whole life, she's very knowledgeable," said Finn, who is receiving recruiting interest from programs such as Seton Hall and Bucknell University, said. "She'll give us feedback, but she is always so supportive. The only time she would be mad is if we didn't try hard, if we gave up. But we're always going to fight on the court, so that never happens."

Obiala said she learned a lot from her experience growing up in the competitive atmosphere playing in the Chicago area. She is enjoying every moment watching her girls, who are both straight 'A' students, play.

"It's fun that they have the same love for the game that I have," Obiala said. "For me, the most important thing is that they are having fun, and they are. They come home from practice giggling about it. When I grew up, I think I took it too serious. Looking back, I wish I enjoyed it more."

She said her daughters are the same, but different in many ways.

"Finn is more of a free spirit. She's always going to have a smile on her face," Obiala said. "Both of them want the ball when it's game point, but Torrin is more of that silent style of competitor. The most important thing is that they are both doing great academically, that's why we wanted to come to Savannah Arts. I'm very proud of what they have done in the classroom."

Now the sisters are focused on making another deep playoff run with a team than includes one of the top setters in the state in junior Lillie Coffey, along with hitters Valerie Kirk and Kennedy Hunter.

"Last year we made a name for ourselves when we beat some Atlanta teams (Eagle's Landing Christian and Providence Christian) in the playoffs," Torrin Higginbotham said. "We lost a few seniors, but we don't have many weaknesses. I think making the Final Four opened our eyes and showed us how good we can be."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Higginbotham sisters carry family volleyball legacy at Savannah Arts