By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

It will always be a moment frozen in the minds of Cherokee County High School senior setter Macy Lea and senior middle/outside hitter Nevaeh Gaidurgis.

In the fifth and final set of the Class 4A state championship match against Prattville Christian, the Lady Warriors needed just one point to win the school’s first volleyball title.

Like countless times before throughout their varsity careers, Lea set Gaidurgis, who proceeded to hammer the ball down for the final kill to secure the title, setting off a shockwave of celebration on the court at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham.

The dream season, as Gaidurgis calls it, was finally complete.

“My emotions were so high,” Gaidurgis said. “To get that last ball and kill it and we win it was amazing. (Teammate) Ava (Haygood) came up and hugged me, pulled me to the ground. I was like ‘We actually just did this. We actually just won a state championship.’

But it wasn’t just any ordinary state championship, Gaidurgis said. This one was for also for all the former Lady Warriors who came before this year’s team.

“Two of the runners-up were my mother’s years (Tadshi Dupree Gaidurgis). To win that after she lost twice, and our coach (Tiffany Rieger) got runner-up as well, I was like ‘We have to make history this year. We have to win it – not just for us, but for them as well, for all the people who didn’t win it. Let’s put this school on the map for volleyball,’” Gaidurgis said.

“To put Cherokee County on the map for volleyball is such an incredible honor.”

Winning the school’s first volleyball state championship didn’t come as a surprise to Gaidurgis or Lea. It was a moment this year’s squad had been building up for.

“Leading up to this year, I thought to myself maybe we can win it, but this year I had no doubt. Nobody on this team had any doubt,” Lea said. “We were all like ‘We’re winning it. This is our year.’ I think that’s a big reason why we won, just our mentality – a winner mentality.”

Gaidurgis’ final kill clinched a 4A state tournament Most Valuable Player honor for her. She finished with 22 kills and eight digs for the Lady Warriors (51-9). Lea finished the match with 44 assists.

Both Gaidurgis and Lea’s ‘winner mentality’ wasn’t lost on the Cherokee County volleyball coaches when it came time to select their All-Cherokee County Volleyball Team. They chose both players as co-Most Valuable Players.

For the year, Lea posted 1,293 assists, 263 digs, 132 kills, 60 aces, and 34 blocks. She finished second in school history with 4,607 career assists.

Gaidurgis collected 508 kills, 277 digs, 59 aces, 43 blocks, and 29 assists. She is second in school history for career kills (1,968) and second in career blocks (226).

“Macy and Nevaeh have been leaders and cornerstones of our program since they were in the eighth grade. They’ve taken their teammates by the hand and led them all the way to a state championship,” Rieger said.

Part of both players’ winning mentality has been battling through injuries, particularly Lea.

As a junior, Lea suffered an avulsion fracture in her left fibula. She battled back quickly to help the Lady Warriors make a run to the state tournament.

Following last season, Lea was named co-Most Valuable Player in the county with Spring Garden’s Ace Austin.

This past season, Lea suffered another serious injury. She suffered a torn labrum and played through it almost the entire season.

“I didn’t tell anybody because I didn’t want to get taken out. I just kept it a secret,” Lea said. “I went to (trainer) Blake (Revette) every day and he would take care of me. One tournament, Coach Rieger was like ‘Why are you taped?’ I told her ‘It’s just sore.’ In reality, I had a torn labrum.

“It was a really crucial time in our season because Nevaeh and Raegan were also hurt. I was like ‘Our two hitters are hurt. I can’t be hurt.’ So, I just kept it a secret.”

Rieger said Lea is “completely selfless.”

“She’s tough as nails, and consistently puts her team first,” Rieger said. “That was evident both this season and last. Through it all, she never complained, never slowed down, and her performance never wavered. She understood how much we depend on her, and she refused to let us down. Those qualities are exactly why Macy has earned the respect of every player and coach in our program.”

Lea said playing through the pain was “so worth it.”

“Knowing the outcome, I’d do it 1,000 times again,” she said.

“She’s one of the best setters I’ve ever had in my career,” Gaidurgis said of Lea. “Me and her have been through it. We had to step up at a young age to help shape the team. When she sets me, it doesn’t have to be a perfect set. It can be off the net, but it’s right there where I need it. I know I’m going to get a kill every time she sets me.”

Lea has the same respect for Gaidurgis.

“Nevaeh is phenomenal. She’s a very flexible hitter,” Lea said. “Even if I get her off rhythm, she’s still going to find a way to put it down. She doesn’t get enough credit for that. She can obviously kill a ball when it’s a perfect set, but even when it’s not a perfect set, she still finds a way. She’s such a smart player. That’s where her IQ lies.”

“Vae is the quieter of the two, but her presence on the court is anything but quiet. She excels in every phase of the game,” Rieger said. “She’s a reliable passer and server. She’s solid on defense, but it’s her powerful, dominant swings that ignite our team and our crowd. She has a special ability to show up big in the biggest moments. She’s someone we know we can count on to rise to the occasion and finish the job.”

And now, both Gaidurgis and Lea have helped the Lady Warrior volleyball program finish the job on a championship legacy.

Joining the duo on the all-county squad from Cherokee County High School is sophomore middle hitter Jolie Alexander, junior outside hitter Ava Haygood, and senior libero Ellisan Givens.

Alexander accounted for 297 kills, 102 digs, 76 aces, 66 blocks, and 17 assists.  Haygood had 459 kills, 314 digs, 71 aces, 30 blocks, and 31 assists. Givens gained 677 digs, 125 assists, 117 aces, and 36 kills.

Chosen from Cedar Bluff is senior libero Blakelea Hall, senior outside hitter Kindal Grace, and senior setter Rylie Walker.

Hall accumulated 296 digs, 115 kills, 36 assists, 29 aces, and six blocks. Grace accounted for 301 digs, 284 kills, 29 aces, 26 assists, and 11 blocks. Walker produced 565 assists, 328 digs, 77 kills, 39 aces, and 10 blocks.

Junior setter Maddie Clanton and junior outside hitter Paitlyn Hughes was selected from Sand Rock.

Clanton collected 752 assists, 299 digs, 69 kills, 40 aces, and 29 blocks. Hughes has 527 digs, 163 kills, 37 aces, 13 assists, and six blocks.

Sophomore outside hitter/setter Aubrey Kelley represents Spring Garden. Kelley posted 191 kills and 137 assists.

Sophomore setter Chloe Collins represents Gaylesville. Collins finished the season with 246 assists, 38 kills, 37 digs, and 12 aces.