Seniors on the Nansemond-Suffolk Academy girls’ lacrosse team drew significant recognition this year on the all-conference and all-state teams.

The 2015 All-Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools first team featured Sarah Higinbotham, Holly Kozak and Jessie Lerner.

“To get three girls on first team All-TCIS was a pretty big deal for us, and those girls really deserved to be recognized on the first-team level,” Lady Saints coach Olivia White said.

Higinbotham and Lerner were named to the 2015 Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II all-state first team, while Grace Haddad and Kozak made the all-state second team.

At the state level of recognition, “to have four girls was really exciting, and it gives our team a big boost of confidence as well because the team really got behind those girls and supported them,” White said.

The girls spearheaded a 9-8 season that included the team’s first win in a state playoff game in school history.

Lerner, a midfielder, has made the all-state and all-conference first teams before and continued to be a star for Nansemond-Suffolk this season.

“Jessie was our leading scorer on the team,” White said, noting she scored 76 goals this season and had 10 assists.

Lerner also tied for the team-lead in ground ball pick-ups with 72.

White praised her for always being able to handle the ball in pressure situations, for her ability to get down the field quickly and for her skill to break through double- or triple-teams.

“Jessie’s just a true athlete,” the coach said.

Higinbotham, also a midfielder, moved up this year after making the All-TCIS second team last year.

“Sarah’s a real leader on the field,” White said. “I often call her the quarterback of the team.”

The coach also said Higinbotham shows great intelligence on the field and great field awareness.

“She’s extremely coachable,” White said, but added that she is also very willing to talk to her coach about any strategies she thinks could or should be implemented.

Higinbotham took the draws most of the time for the Lady Saints, and she racked up 125 draw controls on the year, “which gave us possession of the ball when we really needed it,” the coach said.

White added, “Sarah’s also really strong on defense,” as she runs up and down the field to play both on defense and attack.

This season, she had 72 ground balls, 31 goals and five assists.

Midfielder and low attack contributor Holly Kozak was being recognized by the TCIS and VISAA Division II voters for the first time this year.

“Holly has speed in everything she does,” White said, providing examples like her speed off the draw to win ground balls and the speed she applies on her shots.

She collected 48 ground balls and was the second-leading scorer on her team with 52 goals, also handing out eight assists.