Gilmer High volleyball continued its region schedule after facing a pair of nonregion foes.
The GHS Lady Cats were at Chestatee last Tuesday and lost to the host War Eagles and Pickens in straight sets. Gilmer was in Adairsville two days later. The Cats were able to earn a second set win over Tigers but lost the match, 2-1. Calhoun’s big hitter helped the Yellow Jackets to a 2-0 victory.
Chestatee won the match by scores of 25-11 and 25-16. Lady Cat Jace Sanderson was the top hitter with five kills, and she also had five digs. Maddie Usry recorded 10 digs, and Madison Bradshaw provided eight assists.
Pickens came out on top with set wins of 25-18 and 26-24. GHS got a boost from the service line where Lilyan Cook scored seven aces. Usry was there for seven digs, while Bradshaw tallied six digs and 11 assists. Top hitters were Caylee Elrod with five kills and Kiana Jones had four.
Versus Adairsville, the Cats dropped the first set (25-20) and won the second (27-15). The Tigers claimed the match with a third set win of 15-12. Bradshaw totaled six kills and eight assists. Cook scored five more aces and had five kills. Dig leaders included Usry (16), Bradshaw (nine) and Aliza Chastain (seven), while Sanderson had seven assists.
Calhoun came out on top with wins of 25-14 and 25-19. The Jackets were led by Gracison Saylors, who tallied 14 kills. Lady Cats Chastain, Usry and Sanderson all had five digs and Bradshaw had five assists.
“We never should have lost to Adairsville at all,” said head coach Maria Huelsman. “When Calhoun doesn’t have their Kentucky commit (Saylors) on the front row, we waxed the floor with them. But then when she got on the front row, they went to her every single time.
“We don’t have an answer for a 6’ 3” (player) who is a beast. We have to figure out how we’re going to handle that. If we can keep her off the front row then we can beat them. It’s a matter of quickly getting her off the front row and staying in those rotations where she’s on the back row for three rotations. That’s the key to beating them, and they’re very beatable.”
GHS is 1-16 overall, and the Cats hosted Heritage and Calhoun at Tuesday’s press deadline.