We Speak Volleyball

Blessed Trinity Rallies Past Cartersville 3-2 to Reach the Class 5A State Final

Published

55 minutes ago

November 2, 2026

The Blessed Trinity volleyball team celebrating on the court.

Photo courtesy of Blessed Trinity Athletics.

Blessed Trinity is headed to the state final, and the Titans took the hardest road there. Blessed Trinity rallied to beat Cartersville 3-2 on Wednesday at LakePoint Sports Complex in the GHSA Class 5A semifinals, surviving a five set thriller that turned in the last two sets.

The Titans took the opening set, then watched Cartersville grab control of the match. The Lady Canes won the second set 28-26 and the third set 31-29, and Blessed Trinity stood one set from the end of its season. The Titans answered by winning the fourth set to force a decider, then closed the match 15-12 in the fifth to set off the celebration.

The win carried some payback. Cartersville had beaten Blessed Trinity in last season’s quarterfinals, and the Lady Canes won the regular season meeting between the two teams in September as well. This time the Titans flipped it when it mattered most, riding their veteran hitters through the comeback and finishing the match on a kill by Riley Gilmore, as reported by Bartow Sports Zone.

Cartersville finished its season 37-6 after a deep run that came up one set short of the championship match. Blessed Trinity moved on at 44-8 to face top ranked Marist in Saturday’s Class 5A final at LakePoint, with the Titans carrying all the momentum of a comeback that saved their season. The Titans fell to Marist 3-1 in that final and finished the year 44-9 as the state runners up, but Wednesday’s rally in Cartersville was the win that put them on the championship stage.

We Speak Volleyball

Columbus Stuns Top Seeded North Hall in Five Sets to Reach State Final

Published

7 minutes ago

November 2, 2026

We Speak Media

Columbus volleyball players celebrate on the court during the state semifinal.

Photo courtesy of Columbus High Athletics.

Columbus was not supposed to be here. The fifth seeded Blue Devils beat top seeded North Hall 3-2 on Tuesday in the GHSA Class AAAA state semifinals at LakePoint Sports Champions Center in Cartersville, and the win sent Columbus to the state championship match. It was the second straight five set win for the Blue Devils.

North Hall looked every bit the favorite early. The Trojans opened the first set on a 10-0 run behind the serving of Brinley Simmons and won it 25-18. Columbus answered in the second set, and senior middle hitters Leah Richardson and Taylor Myers took over at the net. Myers delivered 3 kills and 2 blocks in the final 10 points of the set as Columbus evened the match with a 25-23 win.

North Hall took the third set 25-12 and moved in front again. Columbus responded once more, with Richardson and Myers combining for 6 kills and 3 blocks while closing out a 25-18 win in the fourth set. In the fifth, Columbus finished the upset 15-7.

North Hall entered the match 41-6, riding a 21 match winning streak, and was playing in the Final Four for the second time in program history and the first time since 2017. Columbus, coached by Carson Laye, improved to 34-14 and moved on to face Oconee County in Thursday’s championship match.

The Blue Devils had already beaten Woodland Stockbridge in five sets in the quarterfinals. Against North Hall, they proved that result was no fluke, knocking out the bracket’s top seed one win short of the final.