The GHSA Volleyball State Championships return to the Lakepoint Sports Complex Champions Center for two days (Nov. 3-4) of captivating championship showdowns. Class 1A, 2A & 3A will crown its champions on Friday before the top four classifications take center court on Saturday.
This year’s finalists share a combined total of 46 all-time state titles, a significant leap from the 21 all-time titles shared by last year’s championship field. Class 7A finalist Walton leads with 15 all-time titles, McIntosh and Pace Academy currently boast six and Pope is looking to extend its dynasty with five all-time crowns. Pope, Greater Atlanta Christian, Pace Academy and Mt. Paran represent the four defending state champions that have returned to the finals this year. Additionally, Oconee County, Whitefield Academy and Mt. Pisgah are the only three teams out of the 14-team field that will be attempting to capture a first-ever state title and the showdown between Mt. Pisgah and Whitefield Academy in the opening match of championship weekend will be the only battle guaranteed to crown a first-ever state champion.
Whitefield Academy had never won a playoff match prior to this year’s run to the finals and the Wolfpack will take on Mt. Pisgah Friday at 3 p.m. to open up the two-day, seven-match marathon. Mt. Pisgah has won both previous matches with the Wolfpack this season and rides a nine-match winning streak. The Class 2A finals stage two surging teams with Mt. Paran and Landmark Christian, who have won 13 and 16-straight matches, respectively, heading into Friday’s championship. Mt. Paran has not lost within Class 2A this season and Landmark’s only loss and last defeat to an in-state opponent came to Mt. Paran back in August in a (19-25, 25-22) sweep.
Friday’s triple-header will conclude with Sandy Creek and Oconee County. Sandy Creek emerged victorious when the teams last met on Aug. 17. Oconee County’s only other loss within Class 3A came to defending state champion Morgan County and the Warriors avenged that by topping the Bulldogs 3-1 in the quarterfinals. Sandy Creek will look to snap an 11-year championship drought, while Oconee County will look to become the first championship team in program history.
SATURDAY SPOTLIGHT
The first matchup on Saturday is filled with star-power as Lovett’s UGA-commit Emma Duffield and Kennedy Campbell lead the Lions against six-time defending state champion Pace Academy and the Knights’ potent lineup that includes Ellie Siskin, Grace Agolli and Lawson Monroe. The Knights can win a seventh all-time state title and become the first program in state history to win seven-straight volleyball titles, while Lovett can achieve its first state title since 2012.
Two-time defending state champion Greater Atlanta Christian will square off with McIntosh in Saturday’s second showdown. Last year, the Spartans defeated McIntosh 3-2 in the semifinals before topping Chattahoochee for the title. This past Saturday, GAC once again won a five-set thriller to advance to the finals—this time being against Dalton. Two-time Gwinnett Super Six selection Gracie Rose scored the winning point. McIntosh also is fresh off a five-set semifinal victory against Kell. The Chiefs will try to win their seventh all-time state title and first since 2020 when the team won a fourth-straight crown.
Saturday’s third match will see Walton attempt to break its own state record and become the first program to reach 16 all-time titles against Region 5 rival North Cobb. Walton and North Cobb split their two previous matchups this season with North Cobb coming away with a 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-15) win on Sept. 19 and Walton rallying back from an 0-2 deficit to win a five-set thriller (21-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-17, 15-11) in the region tournament on Oct. 12. In the semifinals, Sarah Boyle led North Cobb with 10 kills in a 3-0 win over Cherokee. “That is what has helped us all season. We don’t have just one hitter,” head coach Steve Sansing told the Marietta Daily Journal. “We have to be aware of all of our hitters. All six of our hitters have over 100 kills this year, so you don’t really know where it’s coming from, and that helps us.” The Class 6A championship will pair Area 7 rivals Pope and Alpharetta and the teams split their two meetings in the regular season. Alpharetta defeated Pope 3-0 on Sept. 21 in what was part of a 32-game winning streak and the Greyhounds took the rematch 3-1 on Oct. 14 to earn the No. 1 seed. The only other losses by Pope (39-3) and Alpharetta (37-3) occurred outside of the Class 6A field.
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