Lady Trojans win Area title, awards
The GLHS volleyball team won its second Area 6-AA/A championship on October 8 by defeating Darlington in four sets. The Lady Trojans were the top seed in the tournament and had beaten Rockmart and Sonoraville in earlier rounds. Gordon Lee's previous Area title came in 2004.
Seniors Jill Johnson and Kelly Mariakis, junior Alli O'Neal, and sophomore Sara Holder were were chosen to the All-Area first team, while seniors Kaita McGregor and Alex Russell and sophomore Kayla Pierce were named All-Area second team.
Holder was selected as Area Player of the Year and Coach Ed Clendenen was picked as Area Coach of the Year.
2009 season updates
Oct 17 Gordon Lee lost to Calvary Day 25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-5, in the first round of the state tournament. Alli O'Neal led GLHS with 25 digs and 14 kills. Jill Johnson added 24 digs and 6 kills. Sara Holder had 12 kills, 13 digs, and 5 blocks. Kaita McGregor put down 11 kills, while Kayla Pierce and Kelly Mariakis had 15 and 12 assists, respectively. Alex Russell chipped in with 10 digs. The Lady Trojans' final record was 27-4, which set a school record for most wins in a single season.
Oct 8 The Lady Trojans captured the Area 6-AA/A championship by rallying for a 17-25, 25-18, 25-13, 25-15 win over Darlington. Alli O'Neal finished with 9 kills and 9 aces while Kaita McGregor added 9 kills and 5 blocks for GLHS. Jill Johnson contributed 6 kills and 21 digs. Kelly Mariakis and Kayla Pierce combined for 20 assists while Sara Holder had 4 aces, 3 kills, and 6 blocks.
Oct 6 Gordon Lee advanced to the finals of the Area 6-AA/A tournament with wins over Rockmart (25-22, 25-10) and Sonoraville (25-7, 25-15). Jill Johnson had 20 digs and 7 kills for the night while Sara Holder served 5 aces, had 15 digs, and 15 kills. Alli O'Neal added 3 aces, 12 digs, and 8 kills, Kelly Mariakis had 3 aces, 8 digs, and 14 assists, Kayla Pierce had 3 aces, 14 digs, and 14 assists, and Kaita McGregor contributed 3 aces, 5 digs, and 12 kills.
Oct 5 The Lady Trojans beat Calhoun 25-9, 25-13, then defeated Darlington 25-19, 25-17 to nail down the top seed in the Area 6-AA/A tournament. Kaita McGregor led GLHS with 18 kills. Sara Holder added 12 kills, 14 digs, and 6 aces while Jill Johnson had 28 digs and 8 kills. Kayla Pierce chipped in 21 assists and 17 digs. Gordon Lee ended the regular season with a 24-3 record and a perfect 6-0 mark in Area matches.
Sep 29 Gordon Lee split a pair of matches, edging Southeast Whitfield 25-23,17-25, 25-18, but losing to Heritage 25-20, 25-15. The JV team topped both Southeast and Heritage to finish its season unbeaten.
Sep 28 The Lady Trojans swept two home matches, taking down Murray County 25-7, 25-17, then avenging an early-season loss by beating LaFayette 25-15, 25-15. GLHS got 30 kills and 11 kills from Jill Johnson and 11 aces, 10 digs, and 12 kills from Sara Holder. Alli O'Neal added 11 kills while Kaita McGregor had 10 kills and 5 blocks. Kelly Mariakis and Kayla Pierce had 20 and 13 assists, respectively.
Sep 24 Gordon Lee rallied for a pair of wins against Class AAA opponents. The Lady Trojans dropped the first set against Southeast Whitfield but came back for a 21-25, 26-24, 25-21 victory. Jill Johnson had 22 digs and 9 kills for GLHS. Sara Holder served 5 aces while Kayla Pierce dished out 10 assists. The second match also required a come-from-behind effort as Gordon Lee downed LFO 23-25, 25-18, 25-17. Holder led the team with 14 kills while Alli O'Neal added 10 kills. Kelly Mariakis totaled 14 assists. Alex Russell and Rachel Darr had 11 and 10 digs, respectively. The JV team beat the Lady Raiders 2-0 to remain perfect on the season.
Sep 17 The Lady Trojans defeated Southeast Whitfield 25-18, 25-19, as Jill Johnson totaled 21 digs and Sara Holder registered 4 aces and 7 kills. Gordon Lee then beat Dalton 25-19, 21-25, 25-16. Johnson again led GLHS with 16 digs and 7 kills. Kaita McGregor had 4 aces, 5 digs, and 5 kills while Alli O'Neal had 12 digs and 5 kills. The JV team ran its record to 12-0 with wins over Southeast and Dalton.
Sep 15 Gordon Lee improved its record to 15-2 and 5-0 in Area matches by beating Temple 25-7, 25-5, Adairsville 25-11, 25-2, and Calhoun 25-13, 25-8. Leaders for the Lady Trojans were Jill Johnson with 22 digs, Alli O'Neal with 15 kills, Kelly Mariakis with 27 assists, and Sara Holder and Lindsey Pierce with 5 aces each. Holder also had 3 blocks.
Sep 10 The Lady Trojans split a pair of non-Area matches, falling to LFO 25-20, 25-23, but bouncing back to defeat Sonoraville 25-17, 25-7. Jill Johnson led GLHS with 16 digs. Alli O'Neal had 8 aces and Kelly Mariakis dished out 13 assists. O'Neal and Kaita McGregor had 7 kills each. The JV team topped LFO to remain unbeaten for the season.
Sep 8 Gordon Lee won its first three Area 6-AA/A matches of the season, beating Adairsville 25-3, 25-14, Sonoraville 25-17, 25-9, and Rockmart 25-15, 25-15. Leaders for the day for the Lady Trojans were Kaita McGregor with 12 kills, Kayla Pierce with 18 assists, Kelly Mariakis with 12 aces, and Jill Johnson with 30 digs. Sara Holder added 24 digs while Alli O'Neal had 11 aces.
Sep 3 The Lady Trojans notched two more wins, sweeping Ridgeland 25-14, 25-16, and Dalton 25-20, 25-16. Jill Johnson had 20 digs and 5 kills in the doubleheader. Kelly Mariakis added 10 aces, 10 digs, and 8 kills, Alli O'Neal had 5 aces, 10 digs, and 8 kills, while Kaita McGregor had 4 aces, 10 kills, and 2 blocks. Sara Holder had 8 aces, 13 digs, and 5 kills, Kayla Pierce had 2 aces, 13 digs, and 7 assists, and Alex Russell contributed 10 digs for GLHS. The JV team won its match, defeating Ridgeland.
Sep 1 Gordon Lee defeated Calhoun 25-6, 25-14 and Murray County 25-9, 25-4 to improve its record to 6-1. Leaders for the Lady Trojans were Sara Holder with 10 aces, Alli O'Neal with 13 kills, and Jill Johnson with 20 digs. Kaita McGregor added 12 kills and a block. Kelly Mariakis and Kayla Pierce had 17 assists each. The JV team also picked up wins over Calhoun and Murray County.
Aug 27 The Lady Trojans suffered their first loss of the season, falling to LaFayette 20-25, 25-22, 25-17. Jill Johnson led the defense with 14 digs while Kelly Mariakis had 14 assists. Alli O'Neal and Sara Holder recorded 7 kills each. The JV team remained unbeaten as they rallied for a 2-1 win over the Lady Ramblers.
Aug 25 Gordon Lee picked up a pair of wins, knocking off LFO 25-16, 25-19, then beating Calhoun 25-15, 25-15. Kaita McGregor led the Lady Trojans against LFO with 12 kills. Alli O'Neal added 8 kills while Sara Holder finished with 7. Jill Johnson had 20 digs, Holder added 17, and Kayla Pierce finished with 15. Kelly Mariakis dished out 14 assists. Against Calhoun, McGregor again topped the GLHS hitters with 9 kills. O'Neal and Mariakis had four aces each while Johnson and Pierce had 15 and 12 digs, respectively. The JV team defeated LFO 2-1 and Calhoun 2-0.
Aug 20 The Lady Trojans defeated Murray County 25-8, 25-16 to improve their record to 2-0. Alli O'Neal had 6 aces and 17 digs, Kaita McGregor had 6 kills, and Kayla Pierce had 7 assists to lead GLHS. Jill Johnson added 12 digs. The JV team improved to 3-0 with straight-set wins over North Murray and Murray County.
Aug 18 Gordon Lee began its season with a 25-16, 25-15 win over Ridgeland. Kayla Pierce had 3 aces, 14 digs, and 6 assists for the Lady Trojans. Alli O'Neal had 13 digs and 6 kills, Kelly Mariakis had 7 digs and 8 assists, while Kaita McGregor recorded 6 digs, 6 kills, and 2 blocks. The JV team also beat the Lady Panthers in straight sets.