Mt. Paran, Pace Continue Dominance ; Tallulah Falls Wins First Title
Seven Georgia high school volleyball state champions were crowned during the weekend of November 5-6. The 2022 championship games were held at the LakePoint Sports Complex in Emerson. Here are the results from each classification.
Class 1A
A classification full of both private schools and public schools was won by Tallulah Falls, a member of the former category. The Indians dropped only one set through the first three rounds before defeating a strong Mt. Pisgah squad in four sets to advance to the state final.
Facing an extremely hot Mt. Bethel squad, the Indians won the first set before losing the second in tiebreak. They then cruised through the last two to win their first volleyball state championship in school history.
Class 2A
Mt. Paran had been unstoppable all season, winning 47 matches and losing only twice to Georgia opponents. The Eagles dropped only one set in the state playoffs and rolled to a sweep of 2nd-ranked Landmark Christian in the title match.
Landmark put up a fight in the first set, losing by only two points, but fell apart in the final two sets. The win gave Mt. Paran back-to-back state championships and their third title since 2018. These Georgia volleyball state champions may have established themselves as the state’s next powerhouse program in the lower classes.
Class 3A
Morgan County and Oconee County had been the classification’s two best teams for much of the season, and they faced off in the state championship. Both squads had similar paths to the championship, sweeping their first three opponents and losing the third set in the semifinals by two points.
The match went to five sets as expected, and Morgan County won, giving the Bulldogs their first-ever state championship. After a 5-3 start to the season, Morgan County established a momentum that carried them all the way through a rigorous 3A class.
Class 4A
The Pace Academy dynasty continued with a sweep of Lovett in the championship match. In the second round of the playoffs, Heritage-Ringgold became only the sixth team to take a set off the Knights in 43 matches. Pace’s only loss came against Pope, and that loss accounts for two of the mere seven sets dropped by the Knights this season.
The state championship is their sixth, including three in 3A, followed by two in 2A/A-Public. The Knights went from a 27-17 record last season to a nearly unblemished resume this year. With only one graduating senior this spring, the Knights could very well go undefeated and win their seventh straight title next season.
Class 5A
The 2022 season presented plenty of challenges for Greater Atlanta Christian. The Spartans were consistently battered by a tough schedule, resulting in the fewest number of wins of any top-8 squad. In the playoffs, the Spartans defeated Cartersville and Statesboro in four sets after an opening-round sweep.
Then, trailing two sets to one in the semifinals, Greater Atlanta Christian took charge, winning the fourth set 25-11 and the tiebreaking fifth set, 15-10, to advance to the state finals. There, they rolled past Chattahoochee in four sets after dropping the first. It has been a tumultuous year for the Spartans, but their determination paid off as they were able to repeat as Georgia volleyball state champions.
Class 6A
Sequoyah and Pope were undoubtedly the two best teams in 6A throughout the season. By the bracket’s grace, both squads met for the state championship. The teams combined for 82 wins and less than 10 losses, and that near-perfection was on display in the finals.
The matchup lived up to the hype. Sequoyah’s early burst resulted in a two-sets-to-none lead, but Pope fought back, evening the score and forcing a tiebreak. In that fifth set, Pope opened up a two-point lead and it only grew from there, giving the Greyhounds their fifth state championship and first since 2018. A legendary matchup certainly produced an unforgettable result.
Class 7A
North Gwinnett stunned the state with a nearly perfect regular season, but their run for the state championship ended in a semifinals sweep at the hands of Buford. The Wolves didn’t lose a set through the first four rounds, but that wouldn’t hold against perennial contender Lambert.
In a back-and-forth thriller, Buford clinched the state title with a 19-17 win in the fifth set, but not without controversy. Lambert believed they had won the match, but the head official overruled the line judge’s decision, giving Buford another chance, which they capitalized on. Ultimately, both 6A and 7A produced elite talent on both sides of the net and a pair of worthy Georgia volleyball state champions.
