Lady Trojans open with win in NGAC finals rematch
Gordon Lee and Saddle Ridge Middle Schools played several epic volleyball matches last season, including a classic in Rock Spring for the North Georgia Athletic Conference tournament championship.
So it was only fitting that the 2016 began right where the 2015 season left off and the results turned out to be the same as the last time they met.
The Lady Trojans used a couple of big runs, one in each set, to put away the scrappy Lady Mustangs, 25-17, 25-10, in the season opener for both clubs this past Tuesday.
“The crowd is always loud here and I’m sure they were wanting revenge (from last year),” said a relieved Gordon Lee head coach Tammy Harkleroad. “To get a win to start the year is great and since it was Saddle Ridge, I can breathe a little easier now.”
The homestanding Lady Mustangs jumped out to a quick 7-1 lead in the first set, but the Navy-and-White would answer with seven straight points to tie things up. From there, they went on an 9-4 run and seemed to be in full control with a 16-11 lead.
Saddle Ridge refused to let them get too far away as Colby Charland’s serving got her team back in the game. They sliced the gap down to one at 1716, but three unforced errors down the stretch would prove to be the Lady Mustangs’ undoing as those miscues aided a final 8-1 Gordon Lee run that gave them the opening set.
The Lady Trojans led by two in the second set when Kaylan Dotson stepped to the service line. Dotson reeled off seven straight service points, including four aces, to push the advantage out to 15-6.
Jordan Dockery would deal out three more consecutive aces in the waning moments of the match as Gordon Lee moved to 1-0 on the season.
“I thought we looked solid, once we got past that first game,” Harkleroad explained. “We had to work out some nerves. But right before the second set started, I just told them ‘Look, you’ve got a game under your belts now. Get out there, move your feet, set the ball and get the ball to Emoree Rogers’. She was the hot player tonight and that’s exactly what we did.”
Rogers racked up six kills on the night, while Dockery had five to go with her 22 sets. Mary Katherine Roberts dished out 24 passes and Arilyn Lee led the defensive effort with six blocks at the net.
Charland paced Saddle Ridge with four kills, while Imani Cook added three. Other top contributors for the Lady Mustangs included Brooklyn Hudson (3 aces), Sydney Jones (5 assists), Maddie Moore (7 digs) and Kailey Boulware (4 assists in the second set).
Results of Gordon Lee’s match against Heritage from this past Thursday were not provided as of press time.