By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
CENTRE – The Cherokee County Lady Warriors have dealt with a few injuries leading up to the Cherokee County Volleyball Tournament.
Head coach Tiffany Rieger said the necessary changes in her lineup have “definitely disrupted our rhythm at times,” but their last five matches, Rieger said, the Lady Warriors are starting to settle back in.
With both Raegan Garmany and Nevaeh Gaidurgis back in the lineup, the Lady Warriors were able to sweep Cedar Bluff in Monday’s championship match at Richard Lindsey Arena. The scores were 25-11, 25-15, 25-10.
It’s the second straight county volleyball title the Lady Warriors (31-7) have won.
“Our offense is running smoother, our defense is making some great plays, and our serving has been more reliable,” Rieger said. “Overall, it feels like we’re heading back in the right direction.”
Ava Haygood posted 12 kills, six digs, and an ace for the Lady Warriors. Macy Lea accumulated 25 assists, five kills, three digs, and a pair of blocks. Gaidurgis collected six kills, three digs, and two blocks. Garmany also had six kills, along with a block and a dig.
Mattie Green gained five kills, three digs, and a block. Taniya Fife came away with three aces, a kill, a block, and an assist. Ellisan Givens contributed 11 digs, four assists, and a kill. Jesslyn Hincy had 12 digs, three aces, and an assist. Sydni Frost finished with a pair of assists.
Kindal Grace collected six kills, six digs, an ace, and a block for the Lady Tigers. Rylie Walker added eight assists and four digs. Janaya Higgins had seven digs, a kill and a block.
Blakelea Hall contributed three kills and three digs. Vana Martin posted four digs and Anslee Evans finished with two digs.
Cedar Bluff coach Deidra Cox said the Lady Tigers have “really pulled together” of late, which helped them reach Monday’s Cherokee County Tournament final.
“They’ve settled into their roles and really cleaned up the areas we were struggling with in games,” Cox said. “We’ve done better in limiting our errors.”
But Cox said the Lady Tigers struggled on Monday night against Cherokee County.
“Centre is a really good team,” she said. “I’m proud of our girls for making it to the championship game. I think it’s been seven years since Cedar Bluff was in the championship game. Of course we weren’t just happy making it there and wanted to show up and compete tonight.
“I’m glad we were able to play as good a team as Centre. We needed to see strong hitters and a fast offense. That will be beneficial to our girls moving forward and into postseason.”
Cedar Bluff plays in a tri-match with Dade County at Coosa, Ga., on Tuesday. Cherokee County hosts Bremen, Ga., and Westbrook Christian, also on Tuesday.
