Annie Franklin takes the helm of Bishop England boys volleyball team
Annie Franklin faces a big challenge as the new coach of the Bishop England High School boys’ volleyball team. It’s a mission she’s more than willing to accept.
She replaces Alec Swanson as coach. Swanson was the founding father of the program when the High School League sanctioned the sport in 2022.
He led the Bishops to two state titles. The first came against Philip Simmons in 2022, although the South Carolina High School League didn’t sanction postseason play. The Bishops were 11-0 in the regular season and were flawless in the playoffs as well.
The Bishops went 18-3 the next year and claimed the Class AAAA-AAA-AA-A state title.
Franklin joined Swanson’s staff as an assistant coach on the varsity staff and was head coach of the junior varsity squad in 2024.
Swanson concluded his four years at the school last fall and was a cumulative 54-26 with three state championship appearances.
Franklin, who played at Erskine, is excited to get the 2026 season underway.
“We have a lot of great kids, a lot of great athletes, and a great tradition,” Franklin said. “The team took some losses (with a 12-13 record), but we were young. We’re ready to step up our game and deal out some justice.”
Franklin, who played for Bluffton High School, was the Region 8-AAA Player of the Year in 2017 and played in the North-South All-Star Games.
She excelled at the college level as well as a defensive specialist for the Flying Fleet, with her best season coming in 2019 as a junior when she appeared in 31 matches with nine starts. She was third on the team with 177 digs, with a career high of 25 against North Greenville.
Her senior season was wiped out in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA granted student-athletes an extra year, and she played in the 2021 season.
She returned to Bluffton High School in 2022 to coach the boys’ team in the first year the state's high school league sanctioned boys’ volleyball. The team played only 19 matches in her two years as coach, posting a 9-10 record.
In 2024, she joined the BE volleyball machine as an assistant.
“Probably the biggest thing I had to overcome as a high school coach was that I was always playing against and coaching girls,” Franklin said. “Coaching boys is a different beast, especially if you are a woman in the coaching world.”
Now, she’s ready to guide the Bishop boys.
“I’m excited for the opportunity,” she said. “I’m excited. I want to establish a team culture and create a legacy. We want to excel on the court and the classroom. My players have to represent the school (and) the team – on and off the court – not just during matches. We have to hold each other accountable.”
Bishop England athletic director Bill Warren said the coaching change was seamless.
“Annie has great experience as the head junior varsity coach the last two years,” he said. “We feel like our boys’ volleyball program is in great hands after reaching the state championship in three of the last four years.”