When Antonela Suzuki took over the East Hamilton High School volleyball program in 2020, the Lady Hurricanes were already in a good spot, coming off three consecutive trips to the TSSAA state tournament.
What Suzuki has done over the last five seasons has turned a strong program into a great one.
In her first season at the helm, a pair of eighth graders earned spots on the varsity roster in Georgia Dobson and Hana Suzuki. The duo has gone on to excel in extraordinary ways as Dobson recently surpassed 1,000 career kills while Suzuki has been outstanding in her roles as a libero and setter with 250 career aces and close to 1,000 assists.
Over the past three seasons, East Hamilton landed back-to-back Class 2A state runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2022 before landing a fifth-place state tournament finish in their move up to a tough 3A classification last season.
The program has made seven consecutive state tournament fields and over the last eight seasons has an overall record of 217-66.