Interstate matches enhance volleyball preparation
If there’s one high school sport in the Chattanooga area where teams from Tennessee and Georgia often cross the state line to play each other, it’s volleyball.
Heritage is a North Georgia team that competed this weekend at Soddy-Daisy in the River City Rumble hosted by the Lady Trojans and Baylor. The Generals ended up 2-5 in the tournament with both wins against Tennessee teams.
Baylor went 9-0 without losing a set in breezing to the Gold division championship and improving its season record to 26-0, and Ooltewah topped Red Bank 2-0 (25-14, 25-15) in the Silver final.
Heritage coach Kari Cooper said her team played in the tournament two years ago when it was called the Tennessee Tandem. She said the Generals have played Northwest Whitfield or Ridgeland as many as four or five times in the same season, so entering a tournament like the 32-team Rumble provides some different competition. And there’s a motive, too.
“Last year we had two losses going into postseason, but I didn’t feel like we were prepared for all the different looks we might see from other teams,” Cooper said. “This year I made an effort to reach out to different schools to try to help us better prepare ourselves for postseason.”
Heritage hosted a trimatch Aug. 31 that included GPS, which also was in the Rumble and went 5-2, including a 2-0 win over the Generals.
Cooper said when she was scheduling she sent emails to several coaches, including in Tennessee, and welcomed the response by GPS.
Lookout Valley is traveling next weekend to compete in Southeast Whitfield’s Raider Rally, and the Yellow Jackets recently rescheduled a match for Wednesday at Dade County that was called off because of the effects of Hurricane Irma. Although it’s in Trenton, Ga., it’s a closer school than many of its Tennessee counterparts.
Lookout Valley also hosted Hixson and Ridgeland in a tri-match Aug. 17, and then the Lady Jackets joined Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe in playing at Ridgeland on Aug. 31. South Pittsburg was the other team joining Ridgeland in a tri-match Aug. 21 at Dade County, and the Lady Panthers also have a match scheduled Sept. 28 at Chattanooga Christian.
“We played Ridgeland at the first of the year,” Lookout Valley coach Dan Basler said. “Their coach (April Lemonds) said they have to travel quite a way for some of their (region) matches. She said, ‘As close as we are, we ought to do this more often.’”