The Richmond Hill Middle School volleyball team avenged a regular season loss to defeat Effingham County Middle School in three games Monday night to capture its region title.

The Wildcats beat the Panthers 23-25, 25-22, 15-7 at ECMS.

“They were undefeated and had beaten us during the regular season,” Coach Chelsea Hurst said. “That was our only loss.”

The Wildcats were the No. 2 seed in the tournament and beat South Effingham in the semis last week. Other teams in the region include Langston Chapel, Ebenezer and Burke.

Hurst said after dropping the first game to Effingham Monday night, she tried to remain calm on the bench and encourage the team.

“They had one server who was hitting hard, so we adjusted our rotation,” she said. “We just played it point by point and the girls were mentally tough.”

Team members include: Sydney Balduff, Addison Carnes, Mia Carton, Tyler Devillars, Kaliegh Faldowski, Ella Harper, Taylor Killion, Meghan Krull, Abby LeVines, Jakirah McDonald, Dakota Pate and Zoraya Thornton.

Hurst said about half the team are eighth graders and will be moving on to high school next season.

“We didn’t have many starters returning,” she said. “Some of the girls had never played before and only two played club volleyball, but they worked hard all season to accomplish this.”