By Curtis Rockwell/Sports Director

OCEAN SPRINGS — Vancleave senior volleyball standout Mahea Hawthorne gets the “Baria Law Firm Game Ball of the Week” this week.

Every week throughout the end of the school year, we will honor student/athletes across the “Southern Six” with our “Game Ball of the Week” sponsored by David Baria, Attorney-Mediator.

Hawthorne’s stellar play has helped push her Lady Bulldogs to a solid 16-6 overall record this season, and that includes both a recent 10-game win streak as well as a current stretch of winning 14-out-of-their past 16 matches.

She leads VHS in kills with 87, and is also in the top three performers in four other categories statistically, including blocks with eight.

Vancleave has swept a pair of matches from both Pascagoula and George County over the past few weeks, as well as taking down both arch-rival East Central and Purvis in Region 4-5A play.

Hawthorne has also led VHS to recent wins over a pair of strong Class 7A programs, in both Petal and West Harrison.

Last year, as a junior, she helped direct Vancleave to a second place finish in the region as the Lady Bulldogs secured a first round home playoff berth in the process.

Hawthorne and her Lady Bulldog teammates head to Stone Thursday night for yet another region match-up. They then will take part in the Gautier Tournament on Saturday.

The Baria Law Firm, the Gulf Coast branch of Cosmich, Simmons and Brown, provides a beacon of trust and reliability in a complex legal landscape. Our firm’s unwavering dedication to you is at the core of everything we do. Choose David Baria of Baria Law as your legal ally, and let us handle the details while you focus on what matters most. Reach out to David at 228-395-8303 or dbaria@barialaw.com and at https://barialaw.com.