Area aims for host Southeast Whitfield

Southeast Whitfield’s Lady Raiders knows they’re targeted, the volleyball team everyone in Area 7-4A wants to dethrone — and they don’t expect to stop receiving opponents’ best efforts now that the postseason has arrived.

Southeast is among the six local teams preparing for the start of their area tournaments on Thursday. Dalton and Northwest Whitfield join Southeast in the 7-4A bracket, North Murray and Coahulla Creek are seeded well in the Area 4-3A bracket and Murray County is hoping to be a surprise in Area 5-2A.

The top four teams in each area advance to the state playoffs, which begin next week.

The Lady Raiders (30-10) won the Area 7-3A title last year, finished 7-0 against 7-4A competition during the regular season this year and will host the remainder of the tournament Saturday, following Thursday’s opening round of competition at higher-seeded schools. They are the No. 2 team in the Ga.Prep-Country.com Class 4A coaches poll.

For them, the tournament is about living up to expectations, something any of the other seven teams would love to prevent. So far, they haven’t presented much of a challenge.

“We’ve had it all year long,” coach Jake Dickey said of the Lady Raiders’ presence at the top of the 7-4A standings. “We ran into LaFayette, and the only team who took a game off us was LaFayette. You could tell from being in there we were kind of lackadaisical and they wanted to knock us off.”

It would be dangerous if a repeat of the sluggish start happened. Southeast hosts eighth-seeded LaFayette in the first round at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

“We were being lazy; I’m not going to lie,” said senior McKayla Burse, the team’s deep setter. “We thought it would be an easy win and got lazy and they won one game.”

Three teams — Dalton, Heritage-Catoosa and Gilmer — finished 5-2 in the area and tied for second. Tiebreakers made Dalton No. 2, Heritage No. 3 and Gilmer No. 4 for the tourney.

“Every one of those teams would love to knock us off,” Dickey said. “I think 1 through 4 or 1 through 5, anybody could beat anybody on any given day.”

The Lady Catamounts (18-13 headed into Tuesday) are just happy to be healthy, with standout middle hitter Susan Meinders — selected to The Daily Citizen’s All-Area Team a year ago — among those missing time this season because of illness or injury.

“We’ve had some health issues that have prohibited us from playing the way we wanted to play,” Dalton coach Joey Wills said. “As far as I know, everybody is good.”

Dalton hosts No. 7 seed Pickens at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. A late-season loss to Heritage could be avenged in the second round.

“We’ve been in this position before three or four years ago, when we came out and won the region,” Wills said.

Northwest (14-19) is seeded fifth and will play at Gilmer at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. Lady Bruins coach Jennifer Quinn doesn’t see any team in the area who is head and shoulders above her squad.

“I really do not see anybody blowing us away,” she said. “If we step up and play our game like I know we can, then we can hang and even beat these teams.”

Northwest finished 3-4 in area play, with one loss coming to Gilmer.

“We lost to them in the regular season, but we did beat them in the Southeast tournament,” Quinn said. “So it could go either way.”

In the other first-round match, also at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Heritage hosts Ridgeland. The tournament will resume at 10 a.m. Saturday at Southeast, with a pair of double-elimination matches starting the action. The best-of-five title match is expected to start at 4:15 p.m.

For the complete schedule, see the Scoreboard section on page 3B.

• In Area 4-3A, one of Coahulla Creek’s goals this season was a top-four seed for the area tournament.

One goal is complete, but it means little if the season is over come Saturday.

Second-seeded North Murray (14-11) faces Thursday’s first-round host, seventh-seeded Adairsville. Third-seeded Coahulla Creek (12-25) takes on No. 6 seed Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. Both games begin at 6 p.m., and the first round of the consolation bracket will also be played Thursday at Adairsville before the tournament shifts to Cartersville on Saturday.

Although Coahulla Creek’s Lady Colts are only in their second year of play, they set a goal of a top-four seed at the start of the year, coach Julie Norton said. Those expected to lead the team in its quest for a state berth include setter Becca Bailey, who was chosen by coaches for the All-Area Team.

“It’s nice to have a sophomore named to the team for that recognition,” Norton said.

Right now Norton is trying to change Coahulla Creek’s mentality to one expecting to win two matches in the tournament and secure a spot in the Class 3A state playoffs.

“I think they still see themselves as inexperienced,” Norton said, “and maybe not as a team that has a chance to go to the state playoffs.”

A matchup with North Murray’s Lady Mountaineers looms in the second round. North Murray coach Connie Hudgins said the disappointing experience of getting beat by a lower seed last season could benefit the team this year.

“Last year we started looking ahead and got knocked out of the tournament,” Hudgins said. “They realized, ‘Hey, look, we looked ahead last year and got swept off our feet.’”

Hudgins received the Area Coach of the Year award for her squad’s finish this season. The Lady Mountaineers went 5-2 against area opponents.

“It was a big surprise,” she said. “I didn’t expect it. I got the email this morning and looked at one of my co-workers and said, ‘Does this say what I think it says?’”

• In Area 5-2A, after another disappointing regular season, Murray County (3-17) has a chance to make the previous eight weeks irrelevant.

“I keep trying to build them up in that sense,” Lady Indians coach Kim Richards said. “I keep saying, ‘We still have a chance.’ They seem to be buying into it, but I won’t know until they get onto the court Thursday.”

The sixth-seeded Lady Indians, who earned two of their three victories against 5-2A opponents, face third-seeded Armuchee at Model at 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

Win or lose, the tournament’s second day will be at Murray County starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, and the team is assured at least one game on its home court.

“The girls love to play in their home gym and have their classmates come in and cheer them on,” Richards said. “We have a great support group from the younger football players.”

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