By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – Cherokee County High School volleyball coach Tiffany Rieger thought the Lady Warriors started off a little slow getting their offense going in the first set against Class 4A Area 12 rival Hokes Bluff on Tuesday.
In between the first and second set, Rieger told her team ‘If you see a hole, tip it. If not, swing.’
The Lady Warriors heeded their head coach’s instruction.
Cherokee County swept Hokes Bluff 25-21, 25-9 and 25-12 to send Libby Curry and Lilly Shaw out winners on senior night. Both players posted seven kills. Curry also had a pair of digs and an assist.
“Both of those girls are good leaders. They work hard and they love the game,” Rieger said of Curry and Shaw. “Our young ones really look up to them.
“Libby has been playing for me since she was in eighth grade. She’s my first eighth grader here to graduate and stick with the program the whole time. She obviously means a lot.
“Lilly came along and joined the varsity last year. She really stepped up and filled in when Viv (Vivian Connell) got hurt. She’s helped us. My most vivid memory of Lilly is the block she got to get us to state last year. That was the point that ended the match. That’s something that will stick with me about her.”
Macy Lea added 27 assists, three kills and a dig for the Lady Warriors (33-13). Ava Haygood accumulated eight kills, nine digs, two aces and an assist. Ellisan Givens gained 10 digs, three assists and two aces. Nevaeh Gaidurgis contributed eight kills and a dig.
Jesslyn Hincy had five digs, an ace and an assist. Raegan Garmany and Jolie Alexander both came away with a kill and a dig. Shamiya McElrath finished with a kill.
Following a tri-match at Sand Rock with Glencoe on Thursday and the Lady Warriors’ Block Out Cancer Quad Match on Saturday with Jacksonville, Westbrook Christian and Boaz, Cherokee County will compete in the Area 12 tournament next week at Alexandria.
“We played Alexandria the other night and it was a really close match. They beat us 12-15 in the fifth set,” Rieger said. “We’ve been talking a lot about closing and taking advantage of opportunities, and most of all, staying positive and not letting our errors get in our head. That was one thing I’ve asked them to do, with it being the last week (of the regular season) rolling into the area tournament coming up – the positivity, the energy. Even when the momentum is on the other side, you’ve got to keep yourself up. We can’t let it drag us down.”
