The 2008 Class 5A State Volleyball Championship was a battle between two teams vying for the right to say they were the absolute best in the state all year. Northview and Pope fought for the title, having played the best volleyball in the state. The Lady Greyhounds, led by head coach Bryan Jones, came into the contest as the hottest team in the state, having not lost a game since early September. Meanwhile, Northview entered the contest as the defending state champions and, though the Lady Titans did not have a better record than the Lady Greyhounds, they looked impressive throughout the state tournament and were the more experienced team.
“I have personally watched them in the Final Four and I have watched video of them earlier in the season,” Jones said on studying Northview before the state championship. “We have similar offenses and we both have good hitters across the board.”
Jones was certainly right about that, as the match went back and forth throughout. The Lady Titans won the first two games convincingly, but the Lady Greyhounds were able to win the third after getting off to a quick start. Pope started the fourth game hot as well, but Northview bounced back to win its second consecutive state title.
Even with the loss, Pope joined Lassiter and Kell in the Class 5A Final Four, and Sprayberry reached the Class 4A Final Four. These four teams proved that Cobb County is a force when it comes to volleyball.
COUNTY DOMINANCE
Of the four aforementioned teams, the surprise team of the bunch was Sprayberry, as the Lady Yellow Jackets had an early exit in the 5A tournament last year. When they moved down to 4A this season, they knew that reaching the semifinals would be an amazing feat. Sprayberry lost its first three matches but later reached the area tournament semifinals, losing to Northwest Whitfield. In the state playoffs, the Jackets defeated Monroe Area, Harris County and Chamblee before falling to Marist. After years of building a solid program, it looks as if head coach Mary-Kay Bateman has her team headed in the right direction.
Lassiter and Kell play in the same area as Pope (Area 1), arguably the most competitive in all five classes. In fact, Pope and Kell were the only two teams to win over 40 matches this season – and Lassiter was not far behind, winning 38. Even Walton only lost one match to an area opponent this season before struggling in the area tournament and failing to qualify for state. And Harrison (Area 5) also has some volleyball history, reaching the Final Four in 2004 and qualifying for the state tournament this year. Jones thinks the reason teams from Cobb County have been able to do so well is the fact that when volleyball season is over, the girls are not exactly sitting on their hands and doing nothing.
“The girls are starting to play more in the offseason,” Jones said. “They have traveled around with each other and they know what it’s like to play in big matches.”
TAKING THE NEXT STEP
While it has been Northview that has been the most dominant team in Class 5A the past few years, Pope may achieve that status in the near future. With a young team that will only lose one senior, the rest of the team will be back and hungry for another shot. The same goes for Lassiter, as the Lady Trojans will lose just four seniors.
But what about Kell? Head coach Gena Ridings is looking for another state title after winning numerous titles at Walton. Speaking of Walton, can the Lady Raiders get back into the mix of winning state titles? In the late 90s, they were the team to beat. Now that Sprayberry is making noise in 4A, can the Lady Yellow Jackets play at a consistent level and claim a state title in a class that features a powerhouse in Marist?
These questions will be answered soon enough, but regardless, there is no doubt that Cobb County features some of the best volleyball in the state and will only get better in the future.
Jones can be reached at bjones@scoreatl.com.
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