By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director

CENTRE – At this time last year, the Cherokee County Lady Warriors were coming off a disappointing volleyball season, one in which they had a rash of injuries which forced a lot of younger players into the varsity spotlight.

The experience those younger players gained in 2021 paid dividends in 2022. The Lady Warriors won their first area championship since 2005 and they clinched a spot in the Class 4A North Super Regional in Huntsville.

Now even bigger things are expected of the Lady Warriors in 2023, particularly from their strong core of four sophomores: right side/middle blocker Reagan Garmany, middle blocker Nevaeh Gaidurgis, setter Macy Lea and libero Ellisan Givens.

“I cannot say enough about this bunch of sophomores,” Lady Warrior head coach Tiffany Rieger said. “We called upon them two years ago as eighth graders to step in as starters on the varsity level when the majority of our original starters were out with injuries. They embraced it then and have never looked back.

“Seeing them in practice, you forget how young they are because they play with the court sense, grit, determination, and maturity of much more experienced players. They are extremely competitive, but they are also just fun to be around and extremely fun to watch on the court. Sometimes I catch myself just watching and smiling at the things I see them do because you don’t typically see those types of things from younger players. All four of them contribute not only their skills, but also as leaders and role models. They have big goals for themselves and our program, and they continue to work hard to help push us all forward.”

Even though the Lady Warriors’ sophomore class is their largest on varsity, there is also a good mix of seniors, juniors and freshmen.

Seniors are setter Aubrie Abernathy and defensive specialist Emilee Paul.

“It has been a joy to watch these two grow and develop over the years, not only in skill, but also as people,” Rieger said. “If you come to watch practice, you will automatically notice how much and how well these two communicate with their teammates from all grade levels.

“They come to practice with high energy and determination day in and day out. They pick others up when they are down, show them how things are done within our program, and they both have a great working relationship with our coaching staff. They let us know what is working well and what may need to be improved upon from a player’s point of view. They definitely lead by example.”

Middle blockers Vivian Connell and Lilly Shaw, and outside hitter Libby Curry make up the Lady Warriors’ junior class.

Connell is recovering from a torn ACL she suffered last basketball season.

“We are hopeful that she will be back on the court with us within the next month or so,” Rieger said. “She, along with Ella (Garmany), led our team in blocks last season. She’s a smart player who reads the game extremely well, and we have certainly missed her being out there so far.”

Shaw is a newcomer to the middle this season. She also plays right side.

“Lilly has a good reach, and we expect to see a lot of blocks from her this season,” Rieger said.

Rieger said Curry has been focused on reaching higher and becoming more consistent with her swings.

“She’s done a great job, and we expect to be able to give her a lot more sets this season,” Rieger said.

The Lady Warriors also have a pair of freshmen in outside hitter Ava Haygood and defensive specialist Leila Connell. Both gained some varsity experience last year.

“When you take all those players and put them on the floor with an extremely smart and athletic setter like Macy is, you have a great combination,” Rieger said. “We expect to be able to run an even faster tempo and more diverse play set going into 2023. That’s certainly our goal. We are not very big, obviously, so we strive to play fast and smart.”

The Lady Warriors compete in Area 11 along with Ashville and Etowah. Their first matches of the season are Aug. 24 in Heflin against Cleburne County and Pell City.

“We have to play our game no matter who is on the other side of the net. I feel like when we do, we compete at a high level,” Rieger said. “I purposefully filled our schedule with as many teams as I could who made a regional appearance last year. My hope is that through playing a tougher schedule our girls are better prepared for postseason play.”

2023 Cherokee County Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 24         at Cleburne County w/ Pell City        6 p.m.
Aug. 26         at Geraldine Tournament                    TBA
Aug. 29         Piedmont/Geraldine                            5:30 p.m.
Sept. 7           Ashville/Douglas                                  5 p.m.
Sept. 9           at Champions Tournament                TBA
Sept. 11         Etowah                                                    4 p.m.
Sept. 12         at Southside w/ Albertville                 4:30 p.m.
Sept. 14         at Cedar Bluff                                         5:30 p.m.
Sept. 16         at Gadsden City Tournament             TBA
Sept. 18         Southside                                                5:30 p.m.
Sept. 19         at Ohatchee w/ Pell City                      5 p.m.
Sept. 21         Jacksonville/Spring Garden               5:30 p.m.
Sept. 26        at Ashville w/ Lincoln                           5 p.m.
Sept. 28        Etowah/Sand Rock                                5 p.m.
Sept. 30        at Cherokee Co. Tournament (SG)     TBA
Oct. 5            at Piedmont                                             5:30 p.m.
Oct. 9            at Spring Garden                                    6 p.m.
Oct. 10          at Jacksonville w/ Alexandria             5 p.m.
Oct. 12          Cedar Bluff/Hokes Bluff                       5 p.m.
Oct. 14          Block Out Cancer Tournament           9 a.m.