It was another busy week for Gilmer High volleyball.
The Cats were on the court eight times last week for a mix of region and nonregion matches.
GHS started its slate of matches last Tuesday versus region foes Lumpkin County and Pickens. Against rival Pickens, the GHS won the second set, 25-20. However, the Dragonettes were able to win the opening set 25-21 and the third 15-5 to claim the victory. LCHS came out on top by scores of 25-6 and 25-14.
Two days later, Gilmer hosted Union and Murray counties and lost by respective scores of 2-0 and 2-1. UCHS claimed its win by sets of 25-21 and 25-20. The Cats mustered a set win of 25-18 agasint MCHS, but fell in the deciding sets 26-24 and 27-25.
Gilmer traveled to Calhoun Saturday for four matches. GHS lost to North Paulding (25-11 and 25-6) and to another team in pool play. The Cats also dropped their first set to Trion, 25-20. GHS then topped the Bulldogs in the second (25-19) and third sets (15-10) for their first win of the season.
Gilmer closed out the tournament by losing its final match to Calhoun. The host Yellow Jackets claimed each set by a 25-20 margin.
Head coach Maria Huelsman noted GHS may experiment with some new lineups in the coming weeks as she looks for ways to bolster the offense. She has been pleased with the Cats’ resilience in its matches thus far.
“I have to have hitters who can finish,” Huelsman said. “I have one hitter who can consistently stay in the positive (percentage), and the rest of them are in the negative. You can’t win ball games like that, and we need more to step up and start getting kills.
“We do get better every time we step on the court. We haven’t played any bad teams, and I’ve been impressed with the competition. I’ve been pleased that we’ve fought all the way through. The only match where I thought we laid down was against Lumpkin. I think losing to Pickens in three sets — when shouldn’t have lost to them — might have set the tone for that. But again, you have to get ready for the next one.”
The Lady Cats will travel to Fannin Saturday for the annual Rally on the Ridge tournament.