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Lady Indians player Makenzie Caldwell gets up high to put a powerful spike on the ball. Caldwell was one of two Lady Indians to be named to the All-Area Team.
The LCHS varsity volleyball team completed a successful 2019 season and punched its ticket to the GHSA Volleyball State Playoffs when the Lady Indians posted a 2-2 record during the Area Championship Tournament hosted at North Hall High School last week.
The Lady Indians began the week by playing their final two regular season matchups against area foes Cherokee Bluff and Dawson County on Senior Night at the Longhouse at the LCHS gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 2.
Behind powerful net play, strong service and sensational backline digs the Lady Indians made short work of the Lady Bears of Cherokee Bluff in the first game of the night.
The Lady Indians found themselves behind early in the first set, but fought their way back to a 25-20 victory to go up 1-0 over Cherokee Bluff.
In the second set, Lumpkin took an early lead and never let it up on their way to a 25-21 win. The victory allowed the Lady Indians to down the Lady Bears 2-0.
In order to maintain second place in the area, the Lady Indians needed to follow their victory over Cherokee Bluff with one against their rival Dawson County.
Unfortunately, the Lady Indians struggled to produce the same energy and results versus the Lady Tigers as they had against the Lady Bears.
Dawson took the first set by a final score of 25-20 and then won the second set by a score of 25-23 to earn a 2-0 victory in straight sets.
The win over Cherokee Bluff and loss to Dawson marked the end of the 2019 regular season for Lumpkin.
The Lady Indians fell to third place in the area standings after the loss to the Lady Tigers, making their path through the Area Championship Tournament hosted by North Hall on Saturday, Oct 5, a bit more difficult.
The Lady Indians got off to a strong start in the first round of the Area Championship Tournament when they defeated Cherokee Bluff in straight sets, 25-19 and 25-21.
However, just like in the team’s final matches of the regular season, the Lady Indians hit a brick wall when they took on the Dawson County Lady Tigers in the second round of the championship tournament.
The Lady Tigers disrupted the Lumpkin game plan and were able to earn themselves a straight set victory when they took the Lady Indians down 25-17 in the first set and 25-23 in the second set.
The loss dropped the Lady Indians into the consolation bracket, but not out of championship contention.
In the third round, the Lady Indians found themselves matched up against the Fannin County Lady Rebels in a game that would decide the fate of each team’s State Playoff hopes. A win would guarantee the Lady Indians of a State Playoff berth and a loss would end the Lady Indians’ season.
Luckily for Lumpkin and its fans, the Lady Indians appeared reenergized when they took to the court to battle it out with Fannin County.
The Lady Indians’ early lead faded midway through the first set, but Lumpkin heated up in the late goings to take the set by a final score of 25-20.
The second set wasn’t as close, as the Lady Indians dominated Fannin County with its strong net play and solid service game. Lumpkin won the second set 25-15 to win the game 2-0. The victory punched Lumpkin’s ticket to the State Playoffs and advanced them to the fourth round of the Area Championship Tournament.
The Lady Indians found themselves once again facing Cherokee Bluff in the fourth round of the tournament.
However, unlike the two teams’ previous two meetings, this time the Lady Bears rolled over Lumpkin and defeated the Lady Indians in straight sets, 25-9 and 25-19, to earn the win and knock Lumpkin out of the tournament.
Despite the loss, the Lady Indians finished the Area Championship Tournament with a fourth place finish and a State Playoff berth.
The Lady Indians also had two members of their team named to the All-Area Team. Both Kiersta Trammell and Makenzie Caldwell were recognized with the honor for their contributions to the team this season.
The LCHS varsity volleyball team will now focus on preparing for the first round of the GHSA Class AAA State Volleyball Championship scheduled to begin on Saturday, Oct. 19.