GUYTON, Ga. — Leah Magana’s sprained ankle wasn’t feeling any pain Tuesday night in South Effingham’s Class 6A state Sweet Sixteen volleyball match against visiting Johns Creek.

Armed with some spare Biofreeze, she rubbed down teammate Morgan Stringer’s overworked right shoulder during a break in the fifth set. Earlier in the match, South assistant coach Analynn Bringer hurriedly found a bag of ice for Rowan Long’s bruise.

It took some Guyton grit, but the Mustangs found a way to overcome every obstacle in their path to a third Elite Eight appearance in four years.

South rallied for a thrilling 3-2 victory (23-25, 25-16, 16-25, 27-25, 15-9) over Johns Creek before a vocal crowd whipped into a frenzy by the talented play of both teams and relentless back-and-forth swings.

The Mustangs (35-9) advanced to face Pope, ranked No. 1 in the Class 6A power rankings, in Marietta on Saturday.

South, the Region 1 champion, has won nine consecutive matches. The latest, against ninth-ranked Johns Creek, will be remembered for a Mustang resolve and spirit that couldn’t be broken.

After four sets, the match was tied at two sets apiece, with both teams having scored 91 points.

“It was a mindset game, and we did lose to the mindset at times,” libero Jada Hill said. “But it came down to who wanted it more, and we wanted it more.”

Mustangs refuse to fold

South faced match point at 24-23 in the fourth set and trailed 9-7 in the decisive fifth set, played to 15 points.

But behind Stringer’s 24 kills, the determined Mustangs never folded.

“There were several times when this group could have said, ‘We’re not on. This isn’t our night,’” head coach Haywood Ellison said. “We ran into a team that was playing well. But we’re a team that continues to fight — one ball at a time.”

Stringer had two kills and a key block during the final four points of the fourth-set rally. Her kill in the fifth set returned the serve to South at 9-8, and Hill, the school’s homecoming queen, put a royal finish on the match with seven consecutive service points.

Hill said her knees were shaking.

Biofreeze can’t cure that, but teammates making plays can.

Middle blocker Shayla Ramsey’s kill tied the fifth set at 9-9. Hill served an ace to give South a 10-9 lead. Ramsey added a block for an 11-9 advantage. Karys Arnold followed with a block and a kill to make it 13-9.

Stringer’s kill made it 14-9, and Ramsey, again strong at the net, redirected a Johns Creek return into open space for the match winner.

“I was proud of how we challenged ourselves and went above and beyond,” Magana said. “We kept reminding each other we’ve been working all season for this.”

South survives momentum swings

Adversity couldn’t get a stranglehold on the Mustangs.

South rallied from an 18-11 deficit in the first set to take a 23-21 lead, but Johns Creek won the next four points to claim the set.

Freshman Taylor Holman contributed three blocks, a kill and an ace during the final nine points of the second set to lift the Mustangs. But the Gladiators (27-11) fought back and led from start to finish in the third set.

The fourth set was tied 12 times and featured four lead changes. South also survived six missed serves.

“I was thinking, ‘It’s one more point, it’s one more point,’” Stringer said. “That’s what our season was coming down to. Johns Creek is an amazing team, but that just shows how amazing our team is.”

One family, one goal

South Effingham has three first-year starters, but the Mustangs are back among the eight elite teams in the state.

“One team. One family. One goal — that’s been our team motto all season,” Ellison said. “I’ve been blessed to have these girls who can really play.”