Volleyball

Abigail Holbert and Haven Tate
September 10, 2021

Volleyball Mid-Season Round-Up (Varsity)

Many thanks to Mr. Skiffen for his invaluable input to this article.

This season has not been an easy one for the Varsity Lady Warriors, but it has been a year of change. Though the varsity squad only lost two seniors at the end of last season, several players have moved around and many have moved from the JV squad to Varsity. With new players does come a time for growth as the move from JV to Varsity is a big one. Also, with new players comes new positions that have never been played before. Finally, with a more knowledgeable coaching staff after last season, the Lady Warriors are looking more and more like a club that has the potential to become great.

Though the Lady Warriors have yet to get a win this season, there has been nothing but improvement since game one. After a devasting loss to Armuchee and Chattooga during the first matches of the season, the girls have played hard, learned their new rotations, and have come within striking distance several times against key opponents such as area rival Fannin County and Adairsville, and a much closer rematch against Armuchee.

The girls have been led by key leadership from seniors and juniors on the team. Deanna Martin, Kylie Morris, and Debbie Herrera lead a strong class of seniors, with Saragrace Whittle bringing her knowledge from playing club volleyball to the court to help continue to make the team better. Coach Sabrina Tucker and Coach Tori Richards have brought new knowledge and new plays to the court as well!

Some of the Varsity mid-season standouts include Saragrace Whittle, Savannah Pass, Deanna Martin, and Alexia Cuevas. Saragrace and Savannah have both been on the move this season, changing positions just a week or two ago. Saragrace was originally playing setter and Savannah libero (a back row, more defensive position) but the two recently flipped to better benefit the team. Both had started the year with roles they never played, and now that they are in positions that they are more knowledgeable in, they continue to strive. Deanna Martin has been a leader on the team this season, and continues to lead the team on the court and grow as a player as well. Finally, the one of only two sophomores on the team, Alexia Cuevas, has been a standout player since being the only Freshman on the Varsity squad last year. Her powerful serves and great sets help keep the team in position to take a victory down the road.

The season is still a long one, and as the girls continue to work together and improve, a victory is on the horizon! GO WARRIORS!

Volleyball Mid-Season Round-Up (Junior Varsity)

The JV Volleyball girls have seen their share of ups and downs over this season. With that said, the improvement the JV girls have shown since day one has been remarkable. Though we had a lot of returning players, we also have several players brand new to volleyball. Also, with COVID rearing its ugly head in the school again, we have dealt with depleted teams and moving of players back and forth between JV and Varsity.

On the bright side, JV has taken a couple of big wins this season against Woodland and Cass, as well as extremely close games against Adairsville and Fannin County, among others. The JV girls have seen excellent play from all of our girls in each position. As we continue to grow, we pull closer and closer to some big wins against some of the toughest competition in Northwest Georgia!

Some standout players this season include Addy Sisson at setter, Jazmin Gutierrez at outside hitter, and Lindsey Contreras at middle. Addy has taken on one of the toughest positions in volleyball at setter and has helped set up some great attacks for the team! Jazmin Gutierrez came into this season missing all of the summer practice due to a broken leg suffered during soccer last season, but has continued to improve and had and great game against Fannin County with 8 consecutive serves! Finally, Lindsey Contreras has stepped up in a big way, moving from her setter position to middle. Middle is such a difficult position when it comes to attacking and defending, and Lindsey has excelled recently. See has several kills and blocks on her stat line that shows she is taking no prisoners at her new position!

We expect to see improvement as we continue to the latter half of the season, and hopefully more victories to come!