Gordon Lee secures sweep against Lookout Valley, 3-0
“It’s good for us to play different competition.”
– GORDON LEE COACH TRICIA GOODWIN
There’s a bit more pep in the step of the Gordon Lee High School volleyball team this year, and for good reason.
The Lady Trojans, annually one of the best Class A public school programs in Georgia, have their sights set squarely on a state championship. No longer will they have to compete with Atlanta-area private schools at the state level after a GHSA ruling put Class A and Class AA public schools in one championship bracket.
As a result, Gordon Lee coach Tricia Goodwin has branched out her schedule this year, including a pair of matches with Lookout Valley. The second of those was contested Thursday, and the Lady Trojans (14-2) won for the second time, this time sweeping the Lady Yellow Jackets by scores of 25-21, 25-18 and 25-23.
“It’s good for us to play different competition,” Goodwin said. “We’ve never played Tennessee programs before this year, so it’s good for us to see somebody different, and it gives us a different perspective.”
While satisfied with the win, the coach wasn’t thrilled with her team’s play.
“Tonight our setting was really off,” said Goodwin, whose team played without starter Gracie O’Neal, a multisport star who was at a cross country meet. “We had a lot that were off the net, so our hitters were just having to roll it over. We need to learn how to adjust to those sets and still get a good hit.”
Gordon Lee had a noticeable size advantage at the net but couldn’t take advantage of it most of the match. Still, Brooklyn Hudson and Delaney Bridges had 12 and eight kills, respectively, including several in the final stages of the third set.
Set one got tight when Lookout Valley rallied from what had been a five-point deficit to tie it at 21 after a Kacey Melton kill and a Gordon Lee error. However, Annie McDaniel hit a winner, the Lady Jackets committed a costly error and Bridges had back-toback kills for the win.
Set two turned with McDaniel serving and Gordon Lee down 5-2. She had six service winners, including four clean aces, as the Lady Trojans ran off 11 consecutive points to take control.
Lookout Valley jumped to a 15-10 lead in the third set before Hudson came alive, getting five of her kills down the stretch. The game was tied at 23 before she had back-to-back kills to end the match.
“This wasn’t pretty, but we have to learn how to win these type of matches,” Goodwin said. “A state championship is our goal, and, honestly, we should get to the finals. Now we just need to figure out how to make our game a little bit faster and a little bit better so that it’s now a contest when we get to that point.”