Why this SEC program impressed Savannah Christian volleyball standout Maggie Kyriakides
Maggie Kyriakides of Savannah Christian has put in countless hours working on her craft to become one of the top volleyball players in the state of Georgia — and her dedication paid off in a big way last week.
The 6-foot-1 outside hitter received an offer to play for Alabama and the junior made her verbal commitment to join the SEC program with a post on X, formerly Twitter, on May 2.
"I'm super excited — this is a really big deal for me," Kyriakides said. "Alabama has a great program and the fans are so supportive of the team. I think I'll thrive in that community and can't wait to get there."
Kyriakides had been an All-Greater Savannah first-team selection the last two seasons. As a junior, she helped lead the Raiders to the Region 3-3A title and to the Class 3A state quarterfinals as she earned Region Player of the Year and All-State honors.
She racked up 377 kills on the season with 49 aces, 31 blocks, 157 digs and 311 serves received.
Kyriakides said she played a multitude of sports growing up — even earning a second-degree black belt in karate, before making volleyball her primary focus at about the age of 12. She has a very strong relationship with SCPS coach Julie Jones, who has also coached Kyriakides with Club Savannah since she was 13.
"I knew this was going to be my sport," Kyriakides said. "I've learned so much from Coach Jones — she is always so positive, and knows how to critique my game. I'm pretty loud on the court, and get super hyped. I'm a physical, competitive player. I think I've improved a lot in the last year with my serve receiving and passing, and I'm getting better with moving the ball around with my hitting."
Jones, who earned her 800th career win this season and was set to be inducted into the Greater Savannah Athletic Hall of Fame on Monday night, said working with Kyriakides has been a pleasure.
"I'm so so happy for Maggie and the opportunity she has to play at Alabama," Jones said. "She will be the first SEC volleyball signee from Savannah Christian. She has dedicated a great deal of time and effort in the gym and the weight room to get where she is today, and I'm looking forward to what she accomplishes in her final season as a Raider."
Kyriakides said the excitement level was high with her family last week as she made her college decision.
"I'm a huge fan of the Southeastern Conference, and now my parents are big Alabama fans," she said. "We've ordered so much merchandise and it's starting to arrive at our house. Even the teachers at Savannah Christian, who root for Georgia a lot, said they are going to have to get some Alabama things to support me."
Her supporters will have one more season to root her on at SCPS, and Kyriakides is looking forward to her senior campaign.
"Our goal is always to win a state championship," Kyriakides said. "But I'm also going to have a lot of fun in my senior year. We're going to have a great team and I also want to be there to help the younger players get better and keep building our program up."
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: Savannah Christian's Maggie Kyriakides commits with Alabama volleyball
