Deep and talented, Gordon Lee will be a state contender once again
Last year was another stellar season for the Gordon Lee Lady Trojans, who won 34 matches and rolled all the way to the state semifinals in the newly-formed Class 1A-2A Public School division.
The season would come to abrupt end at the hands of two-time defending state champion Coosa in the Final Four, but that final loss succeeded in lighting an even more intense fire under the Lady Trojans, who are anxious to take that next and perhaps final step toward their long-awaited goal of bring a state volleyball championship back to Chickamauga.
“Our girls think they can do it and I think we have a good shot,” head coach Adam Crowley said. “It all depends on us playing as a team and meshing, but I definitely think we’ve grown this year. Our girls had never gone that far at state before and they learned a lot last year. Now they can build on what they’ve learned, plus, they’re very hungry.”
The Lady Trojans looked tremendous in their season opener last week and have a solid mix of veteran and younger players, all of whom are talented and have plenty of varsity experience.
“In a way, we still have a very young team, but we have a very talented slew of seniors,” coach Tricia Goodwin added. “Between the two (groups), we have a lot of experience, but we’re still in that area between young and old. It’s all a matter of getting it to flow together.”
Senior Maribeth Blaylock (196 kills, 43 aces, 24 blocks in 2018) is a returning All-State player that will again line up in an outside
hitter spot. She will share the team captain duties with libero Madison Mayberry (328 digs), who is back for a fourth season as a starter on the back row. Gordon Lee has another outstanding defensive specialist in Sally Thomison (160 digs, 72 aces), a vocal leader who is also playing in her fourth year on the varsity.
The final two seniors include setter Mallory Collier (243 assists, 106 digs), another veteran player with solid leadership skills, and outside hitter Casey Wilson (51 kills), who is already showing more confidence on the court in her final season with the Navy-and-White.
Goodwin said leadership is not an issue when it comes to this year’s senior class.
“It’s a really good group of kids that all mesh well together,” she began. “When someone isn’t leading, someone else steps up and they kind of lift each other up, which speaks to their team motto about being together. They are making sure that they are always one and thinking about the team.
“Everybody on this team wants to be important and everybody wants to step up, so we’re not having to drag it out of anybody this year. It’s working really well.”
The junior class will provide plenty of back row help with defensive specialists Annie McDaniel, Ashlyn Boyd and Maddie Crowley. McDaniel, who started as a sophomore, led the team with 77 aces last year, while the final junior, Gracie Thomas, will be a utility player that can play on the outside or in the middle of the front row.
Gordon Lee will also be depending heavily on an extremely strong sophomore quartet who all saw extensive playing time last year as freshmen.
One of the most powerful hitters on the team is Brooklyn Hudson (246 kills, 36 blocks), who will play on the left side of the front row, but has honed her all-around game to the point where she can play virtually anywhere on the court. Arilyn Lee (115 kills, 36 aces, 56 blocks) has already impressed the coaches with the tremendous strides she has made in the offseason in her power, speed and knowledge of the game. She can also play on the back row.
Setter M.K. Roberts will be a big key in the center this year after an outstanding freshman year that saw her record 484 assists, 191 digs, 35 aces and 55 kills. The final sophomore is Samantha Cramer, who was a setter last year, but has stepped up to fill the middle hitter spot surrendered by the graduated Delaney Bridges, the only senior on last year’s roster.
“In the six years I’ve been here, this is the most depth that we’ve ever had,” Goodwin added. “We just have a lot of good, strong, solid players and talent across the board. That combination of defensive experience and power really rounds us out pretty well.”
All that’s left, Crowley added, is simply putting it all together.
“The key is just finding what meshes well for all of us and getting comfortable with it,” he said. “We just have to play, know and believe that we can do it. We know as coaches that they can do it. Now it’s up to them to up their game and we feel they have upped their game. Now they’re ready to play.”