GHSA Volleyball Semifinal look

Bump. Set. Spike. Three simple plays that countless young women across Georgia excel at executing, and the best of those young women, including several of the nation’s best, have put their teams in a position to claim a GHSA state volleyball title. All four champions from one year ago are still alive in these playoffs with a chance to pull off a repeat or three-peat in the case of Pope in Class AAAA. Walton and Blessed Trinity are striving to achieve “dynasty,” status while Whitewater and McIntosh are trying to reclaim their titles. Woodward Academy has come to own the AAA crown of late, having won the last three titles. From 2001-2005, Woodward Academy dominated Class AAAA before dropping down to AAA.

The 16 teams remaining have combined for 616 victories this season. Tonight’s winners will travel to Marietta High School this Saturday to play for the championship.

AAAAA
In the state’s highest classification Walton will face Roswell while Harrison faces North Cobb in the semifinals held at Parkview High School. The Lady Raiders of Walton head into the semifinals as the No. 1 seed in AAAAA and led by the 2010 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year and future Michigan Wolverine Kelly Murphy. The defending champions have yet to drop a set during the playoffs while Roswell needed a fifth set to defeat Lassiter. Walton and Roswell hooked up in August as the Lady Raiders swept the Hornets 25-23, 25-12, 25-15. Roswell coach Casey Carr is just two wins from the title in her first year at the helm. Meanwhile the Lady Hoyas hold the No. 2 seed but are considered the favorites as they hold the No. 1 ranking in the GACA Coaches poll. Harrison and North Cobb, No. 2 in the Coaches poll, split their two regular season meetings before Harrison took out North Cobb in straight sets to win the Area 5-AAAAA title. The familiarity of these two programs should render the seedings meaningless. The Lady Hoyas have cruised through the early rounds of the playoffs while North Cobb needed five sets to dispose of North Gwinnett. The Lady Warriors did sweep West Forsyth in the third round. Players to watch from the AAAAA action will be Carolina Ostman (Harrison), Katie O’Rourke (North Cobb), Kelly Murphy (Walton) and Jennifer Shults (Roswell).

AAAA
Any discussion of GHSA AAAA volleyball must begin with the Pope Greyhounds as Pope has been nearly unbeatable this year. Bryan Jones’ Greyhounds won 38 matches entering the playoffs and have dominated the postseason thanks to seniors Mary Hannah Arrington and Katie Bange. The Greyhounds easily dispatched Lambert and North Paulding before breezing by Rockdale. In fact the last set that Pope dropped this year came back in September against GAC in a 2-1 victory. Looking to spring the upset is No. 5 seed McIntosh, who pulled off the 3-0 sweep of No. 4 seed Johns Creek. The Chiefs have bounced back since losing the Area 3-AAAA title to Whitewater to make the semifinals of the state playoffs at Mt. Zion in Jonesboro. On the other side of the bracket, Whitewater faces Chattahoochee for the fourth time this year. The two played three times in a span of four days. Whitewater and Chattahoochee split a pair at the Sequoyah Classic before Chattahoochee won the rubber match several days later. Whitewater has been hot though ever since dropping four straight at the Border War Challenge. Whitewater was on fire during its Area tournament and has since cruised in the playoffs. Players to watch include Katie Bange (Pope), Saharra Griffin (McIntosh), Madison Akins (Whitewater) and Emily Corrigan (Chattahoochee).


AAA
The top three teams from the most recent GACA coaches poll remain alive in the Class AAA final four but all four teams hail from just two two areas, 1-AAA and 5-AAA. Riverwood and St. Pius X from 5-AAA will face Sandy Creek and Woodward Academy from 1-AAA, respectively. Sandy Creek enters the semifinals having won 20-straight matches and holding the No. 1 seed and No. 1 ranking in the GACA Coaches poll. The Fighting Patriots have not faced Riverwood this year but do hold multiple victories over Woodward Academy as well as one over St. Pius. In fact the only matches Sandy Creek has lost this season have all come to teams still alive in higher classifications. Meanwhile St. Pius X has dropped just two sets since falling to Sandy Creek earlier this month. The Golden Lions have dominated throughout the state playoffs, rarely letting an opponent even score more than 15 points in a set. Woodward Academy will look to spring the upset of St. Pius X, a team it lost to back in August. The War Eagles are battle-tested however, having played a demanding schedule all season long in preparation for the playoffs. Players to watch include Allie Davenport (Sandy Creek), Sydney Cooper (Woodward Academy), Tyler Ockleberry (Riverwood), and Alex Bidgood (St. Pius X).


AA/A
The Greater Atlanta Christian School has dominated these playoffs like few teams we have seen thus far and the Lady Spartans enter the semifinals at Athens Academy with an eye on the title. Standing in GAC’s way though is Holy Innocents’, which is not a team to look past. Holy Innocents’ has needed five sets in its last two victories but give the Golden Bears credit for taking out first Walker and then Athens Academy, two top-six teams. GAC holds the bracket’s top seed and has not dropped a set since losing 2-1 to Pope on September 17. In the other semifinal match, Blessed Trinity and ELCA both dropped a set in the quarterfinals but managed to advance to set up the meeting. Eagles Landing Christian Academy is led by Mara Green, considered by prepvolleyball.com to be the best senior in the state and the No. 23 prospect in the country. Green helped ELCA get the better of Blessed Trinity back in August, winning 2-0, but Blessed Trinity has rebounded nicely to put itself in a position to repeat as AA/A champions. If the Titans can claim the title, the program would have three titles in the last six years. Some players to watch include Dede Bohannon (GAC), Molly McAlvany (Blessed Trinity), Anne Yanda (Holy Innocents’), and Mara Green (ELCA).