Four-time defending, and 13 all-time, state champion Walton swept fourth-seeded Roswell and advanced to the finals out of an all-Region 5-AAAAAAA semifinals field in the state’s highest classification. The Raiders will take on rival Lassiter at Marietta High School this Saturday at 6:30 p.m. No. 3 seed Lassiter was paired up with No. 2 seed Etowah and they met for a rematch of their five-set regular season thriller. In that match on August 27, Lassiter rallied back after losing the opening two sets to close out a 3-2 win. On Tuesday, however, the Trojans escaped the opening set 25-23, closed out a strong 25-18 second set and completed the 3-0 sweep.
Class AAAAAA
Allatoona toppled No. 1 ranked Alpharetta with a dominant 3-0 win to advance to its second-straight finals. The Bucs took the first set 25-21 and rode that momentum to close out a 25-13 victory in the second set. They jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the third before cruising to victory. Defending state champion Pope was swept by host Sequoyah 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-17). Sequoyah previously won a state title in 2014 and Allatoona will be looking for its first after falling to Pope 3-1 in last year’s title match. Class AAAAAAA’s championship match will start at 4 p.m. this Saturday at Marietta.
Class AAAAA
No. 3 seeded Whitewater won a five set thriller over No. 2 seed Starr’s Mill in a match between Region 3-AAAAA rivals. The Wildcats won 25-19 in the opening set, but Starr’s Mill rallied in the second set to score a 25-22 win and then won the third 25-14 to grab a 2-1 advantage. Whitewater responded with a 25-16 win in the fourth set and then closed out a 16-14 win in the fifth set. Whitewater previous won state titles in 2009 and 2012. Across the bracket, top seeds Buford and McIntosh met in a rematch of the 2016 and 2017 finals. McIntosh won the first set 25-13 and closed out a 3-0 sweep with a 25-16 second-set win and a 25-20 victory in the third. McIntosh and Whitewater will play at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday at Marietta.
Class AAAA
Defending state champion St. Pius swept LaFayette 3-0 to return to the finals where they will take on six-time state champion Blessed Trinity this Saturday at Marietta High School at 11 a.m. The Lady Titans advanced with 3-0 road win over Sandy Creek 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-19).
Class AAA
Westminster will have a chance at its ninth volleyball championship after beating Jackson County 3-0 to earn the finals berth. The Wildcats beat Jackson 25-16 in the first set, 25-15 in the second set and 25-7 in the third set to advance. On the other side of the bracket, Pace Academy earned its championship berth with a 3-0 victory over GAC in the semifinals. This will be the third-consecutive season that Westminster will face Pace Academy in the championship match.
Class AA/A-Public
Coosa is back in the state championship match for a chance to defend the title for the third-straight season after a 3-0 victory over Rabun County in the semifinals. Coosa won with set victories of 25-19, 25-13 and 25-12 to secure a berth in the championship match. The Eagles will face a familiar foe in Elite Scholars for a rematch of the 2018 championship match which Coosa won 3-1. The Knights are back in the championship after a 3-0 victory over Gordon Lee in the semis and have a chance at the school’s first volleyball title.
Class AA/A-Private
Hebron has one state championship to its name, Class A in 2014, and now it will have a chance at another after a 3-0 victory over Mount Paran, the defending state champions, in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, Walker punched its ticket to the championship match after a grueling 3-2 victory over Holy Innocents’ in the semis. The Wolverines are trying for the school’s first volleyball title.
