Last season, when the Pickens High School volleyball team overcame a year of adversity to secure the 17th state championship in school history, I wrote that if 2024 was a“down” year for Pickens volleyball, I hoped teams would be ready for what was to come from arguably the state’s top volleyball program.

However, it seemed nobody was ready for the Blue Flame in 2025 as they took down the competition with ease on their way to another state championship on Saturday against Bishop England. The win was historic for a number of reasons. It was Pickens’ fourth state championship in the Class 4A classification, and for the first time in school history they have won in the division in back-to-back years. I’ve always believed 4A to be a different beast than the 3A classification that many Blue Flame fans have become accustomed to in the school’s 45 years of volleyball dominance. Still, while its an accomplishment to be proud of, I’ll remember this Pickens team for a different reason.

In my eight years of covering prep athletics in Pickens County, I have seen lots of great teams in different sports, but I’d argue there is not a sport that is played better in this community than volleyball. Daniel, Easley, Liberty and Pickens are all multi-time state champions in the sport, and I can consistently rely on at least one of those four to make to Upper State, if not all the way to the state championship. I have followed the Blue Flame to state three times since I took over, and Liberty once as well. All of those teams were great, but I don’t know if I have ever seen a more balanced team than this year’s Blue Flame squad.

I’ve covered teams that were bigger or more athletic, but none were as complete as this squad. On any given night when you watched them, any member of this team could step up and make a play. Arguably the two biggest standouts were Lily Clarkson and Kaci Gillespie, as they epitomize the do-everything nature of the Blue Flame as the team’s setters and right-side hitters. Whether attacking, assisting, serving or digging, the duo made play after play for Pickens, setting the tone for a team that often made the game look like poetry in motion. From there, so many members of the Blue Flame were able to step in to do their jobs or even help fill in for others, allowing the team to put together such a dominant championship season.

When opposing teams served to the Blue Flame, there was never much worry with players like Natalie Hunter and Rylan Nichols back to receive, and up front, Chesney Yates, Kentlea Davis, Charlee Abercrombie and Laney Sitterle allowed the Flame to control the net, while also throwing themselves on the floor whenever Pickens needed it most.

And in the playoffs, it seemed like every time the Blue Flame needed a run to build their lead, Krysta Bennefield would give them just what they needed when it was her turn to serve.

The 2025 Blue Flame’s versatility is a testament to the coaching of head coach Mellie Crumpton and assistants Tommy Crumpton and Ken Vanderhoof. Their positive energy is always apparent when you watch the Flame, and when people inevitably ask me if Pickens can pull off three straight for the first time since 2006, I will not hesitate to say that anything is possible with Pickens volleyball.

Bru Nimmons is the Courier’s Sports Editor. He can be reached at bnimmons@thepccourier.com.