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Reduced travel is one of the benefits for Northwest Whitfield’s volleyball team in the GHSA’s new region landscape.

But while the Lady Bruins like having fewer miles to go, they also appreciate a more even playing field.

Area softball and volleyball programs will begin feeling the effect of the GHSA’s new six-classification format this month — the earliest date for an official contest for both sports is next Friday. Some coaches are happy with the changes, and some still see a similar road ahead of them.

Volleyball is similar to wrestling in that it has areas rather than regions, which is the case for most GHSA sports. Areas typically differ at least slightly in their membership from the regions for other sports in a given classification.

Dalton, Northwest and Southeast Whitfield are in Area 7-4A with Gilmer, Heritage-Catoosa, LaFayette, Pickens and Ridgeland.

Northwest is making the biggest change from 2011 to 2012, with the most notable difference being travel for away games. The Lady Bruins played in the same area last year, but with different opponents. Sequoyah, Creekview, Sprayberry, Kell, Woodland-Bartow and Pope — all more than an hour away — were Northwest’s area opponents. Now the schedule features more local opponents.

“It helps with us being involved with other local schools,” Northwest coach Jennifer Quinn said. “Last year, I took over and more than half our schedule was filled. We had teams calling me to play and we couldn’t. Now the schedule is open and I’m having to call other local coaches. It helps with building those relationships.”

Quinn sees another positive. Her team was playing Atlanta-area schools with strong elementary and middle school programs that fed into the high school team. That’s not the case for most programs in Northwest Georgia.

“We were playing against teams that started playing ball in elementary school, and our girls are only getting four years,” she said. “So it was kind of an unfair advantage for other teams because their girls are used to volleyball and have more volleyball skills. ...

“Basketball is big in this area, football is big in this area, softball is huge in this area. Most kids that play volleyball can’t play softball because it is the same season. ... If some of the middle schools would agree to have a program, I know people who would step up and coach.”

Murray County, the area’s largest school just a few years ago and a competitor in the state’s largest classification at that point, is now in Class 2A. The Lady Indians will play Model, Pepperell, Coosa, Chattooga, Calhoun and Armuchee in Area 5-2A.

They went winless in 2011, when they were in Area 7-3A with the likes of Dalton, Heritage, Southeast, Gilmer and LaFayette. But Murray County coach Kim Richards believes dropping down will help.

“As far as volleyball, I feel we’ll have a little better chance playing in that area,” she said. “Us and Calhoun are the only two teams that have had a team for more than one year.”

Richards said it isn’t just the quality of the players but also the size.

“Listening to the other coaches talking, it doesn’t sound like they have much height,” she said.

Compared to other local schools, Murray County will have to travel farther because of the new classifications, but Richards downplayed its effect.

“It’s not Class 5A,” she said. “It’s not like going down to South Georgia or Middle Georgia like we have before, so we’re OK with it.”

North Murray and Coahulla Creek are with Adairsville, Cartersville, Fannin County, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Ringgold and Sonoraville in Area 4-3A. Christian Heritage is in Area 4-A with Gordon Lee, Darlington, Georgia School for the Deaf, Mt. Paran Christian, North Cobb Christian, Walker and Whitefield Academy.

In softball, local schools will lose some tough opponents but also gain one in Region 7-4A.

After spending the past two years in Sub-region 7A-3A, Dalton and Southeast will be in Sub-region 7B-4A with Heritage, LaFayette, Ridgeland and Northwest.

The Lady Catamounts and Lady Raiders no longer have league games against Ringgold and Allatoona, who each made the final six in Class 3A last season, but they’ll have to deal with Northwest, which finished fourth in Class 4A and has established itself as a state power in recent seasons.

“It’ll be interesting this year being in a different region,” said Jeff McKinney, Dalton’s new head coach. “Northwest is one of those teams that has been a powerhouse in softball and they’re inside our region.”

Said new Southeast head coach Kelley Barton, “They’re a good team, but we’re willing to step up to the competition. I’m glad we added them.”

In Region 5-3A, North Murray’s Lady Mountaineers also add a new foe with Ringgold, which has left Dalton and Southeast’s league after finishing fourth in Class 3A last year. North Murray — which advanced to the second round of the Class 2A playoffs in 2011 — won’t have to deal with River Ridge or Dade County, which both made the playoffs out of Region 7-2A last season.

North Murray will face old Class 2A foes Coahulla Creek, Adairsville, Gordon Central and LFO, who finished fourth in Class 2A. Cartersville is another team dropping down from Class 3A.

“I don’t know much about Cartersville,” Lady Mountaineers coach Daphne Winkler said. “I was doing some research online and they are returning some players and had a strong team last year.”

Murray County will be in Sub-region 7A-2A with Calhoun and Dade County. Christian Heritage will be in Sub-region 6A-A with Darlington, Excel Christian, Georgia School for the Deaf, Gordon Lee, King’s Ridge, Mt. Zion-Carroll, Southwest Atlanta Christian and Trion.

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