GUYTON, Ga. – South Effingham outside hitter Morgan Stringer got on a roll Saturday morning in the second round of the Class 5A volleyball state championships.

From the sidelines, the Mustangs’ reserves had some good advice: “She’s hot — feed her, feed her.”

Her teammates did just that, and Stringer ate up eighth-ranked Milton.

The 6-foot junior finished with 17 kills — several coming at critical moments — as South rallied from a set down to defeat the visiting Eagles 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-18) and advance to the Elite Eight for the second time in three years.

“Our bench was loud. We were really meshing well. Everyone was putting in so much effort. It was easy to feed off of,” Stringer said.

The Mustangs (40-10), winners of 31 of their last 33 matches, will play the winner of River Ridge and McIntosh next Wednesday.

South’s 40 victories are the most by the program since at least 2007 — as far back as MaxPreps records go. The Mustangs went 39-12-1 in 2015.

Magana ignites turnaround

Win No. 40 took a dramatic SEHS turn in the second set. Leah Magana served eight straight points during a 9-0 run that flipped a 21-16 deficit into a 25-21 win.

A key point came with the Mustangs trailing by a point, 21-20. Milton won the next point, but the side judges came together to rule a Milton player had touched the net during the play. Instead of Milton leading 22-20, the match was tied at 21.

Stringer took it from there — three straight laser smashes — and the Mustangs closed out the set, 25-21.

“I think we were really honed in on what Milton liked to do,” SEHS coach Haywood Ellison said. “We had some opportunities and we capitalized. We had contributions from everyone. It was a great team win.”

“We needed the momentum shift, and as a team we’re finding the right moments to step up,” Magana said.

The joyous Mustangs hugged as they went to the locker room during the five-minute break between the second and third sets. Defensive specialist Jada Hill stayed loose — doing cartwheels as she returned to the court.

Vorel powers third-set surge

Middle blocker Clara Vorel (15 kills, 5 aces, 3 blocks) registered kills on three of South’s first four points of the third set. SEHS led 11-4 before Milton trimmed the gap to 21-19, but kills by Anna Kate Taylor, Kylie Aquino and two more by Vorel sealed the set.

“They looked a little defeated after what happened in the second set, but we probably looked that way after losing the first,” Vorel said. “We had to dig deep.”

The Mustangs trailed 4-0 in the fourth set, but Stringer’s kill capped a 9-4 run to regain the lead.

At 13-10, Lauren Olson’s serve seemed to be going long, but it hit a Milton player for a Mustang point. On the next play, Hill made a sensational diving dig — the ball soaring 20 feet in the air to Milton’s side of the net. The Eagles failed to communicate, and the ball dropped in for another SEHS point.

Stringer notched kills for the 21st, 22nd and 23rd points.

It was clearly the Mustangs’ morning.

“Especially this being my senior year, this feels special,” Vorel said.