Walton swept Lassiter in the Class AAAAAAA state championship and added a 14th all-time state title its GHSA Volleyball all-time record Saturday at Marietta High School. The Raiders defeated the Trojans in competitive matches twice during the regular season and took the first two sets 25-18 and 25-17 before running away with a 25-12 win in the decisive third set. The championship is the Lady Raiders' fifth-straight.
In Class AAAAAA, Allatoona defeated Sequoyah in a five-set thriller to win its first state title in program history. The Bucs fell short to Pope 3-1 in last year’s finals and were 0-3 against Sequoyah this season prior to Saturday’s win at Marietta. Sequoyah opened up a 1-0 lead with a 25-21 win in the first set, but Allatoona responded with a 25-21 victory of its own in the second. The two region rivals were tied 13-13 in the third set and Allatoona eventually closed out a 28-26 win to take a 2-1 advantage. Sequoyah scored a 25-17 win in the fourth set and then Allatoona clinched the crown with a 15-12 fifth set victory.
Blessed Trinity defeated defending champion St. Pius in the Class AAAA finals at Marietta High School in four sets to capture its first state title since 2016 and seventh in program history. The Lady Titans fell behind 18-17 in the first set before closing out a 25-21 win on an 8-3 run. In the second set, Blessed Trinity grew a 20-14 lead and held off a St. Pius run to take it 26-24. The third belonged to the Golden Lions from the start as they jumped out to an 8-1 lead. St. Pius extended its lead to 18-9 and handed Blessed Trinity its first lost set of the 2019 playoffs with a 25-15 victory. In a back-and-forth decisive final set, Blessed Trinity clinched the title with a 27-25 victory.
McIntosh swept its Region 3-AAAAA rival Whitewater in convincing fashion to with its third-straight Class AAAAA championship and collect its fifth all-time title. The Lady Chiefs took the first set 25-10 and then quickly went up 2-0 with a 25-12 win in the second. McIntosh opened up a massive 15-3 lead in the third set before closing it out 25-12.
In the first of three championship matches played at McEachern High School on Saturday, Class AA/A-Private Hebron Christian swept Walker 3-0 to capture its first state title since 2014. The Lady Lions’ victory marked the first time that Walker was swept all season. Hebron Christian won the first set 26-24 and then grabbed the second set 25-20 before running away with a 25-10 victory in the third.
Coosa captured its third-straight championship and defeated Elite Scholars Academy in the Class A/AA-Public finals for the second straight year with a dramatic five-set victory. Elite Scholar Academy opened up a 23-13 lead in the first set and closed out a 25-15 win to go up 1-0. The Lady Royal Knights took an 18-17 lead in the second set, but Coosa evened up the match with an 8-2 run—taking it 25-20. Coosa went up 19-13 in the third set, but Elite Scholars sparked a 12-3 run to take the set 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth. Elite Scholars led 16-13 in the fourth, but Coosa forced a winner-take-all fifth set with a 25-21 win. In the decisive final set, the Lady Royal Knights sat just two points away from the title (13-10), but Coosa rallied to clinch the title with an 18-16 win.
Pace Academy defeated rival Westminster 3-0 to win its third-straight Class AAA title in the final match played at McEachern on Saturday. The Knights took the first set 25-21 and then closed out the sweep with a 25-23 win in the second set and a match-clinching 25-20 win in the third. This was the third time that the teams met this season; Westminster won 2-1 and then 3-0 in the Area 4-AAA championship to take the top seed.
About the Author
