We Speak Volleyball

Plant Outlasts Beachside in Five Sets and Takes Pool B Tiebreaker Edge

Published

1 hour ago

November 2, 2026

The Plant volleyball team celebrating together in the Plant gym.

Photo courtesy of Plant Panther Volleyball.

Plant saved its season in the longest way possible on Saturday afternoon in Tampa, outlasting Beachside in five sets in Pool B of the inaugural FHSAA Open Division.

The Panthers won the opener 25-21, then watched the match turn. Beachside took the second set 25-23 and the third set 27-25, pushing Plant to the edge with a two sets to one lead. One more set for the Barracudas would have changed the whole pool picture, and Plant had no room left for a slip.

Plant answered in the fourth set, winning 25-21 to force a deciding fifth set in front of its home crowd. The fifth set went past the usual finish, and Plant closed it out 16-14 to complete the comeback and take the match three sets to two.

At the time, the win gave both teams a split of their first two pool matches and kept every semifinal path open going into the final round on October 28. Its full value only became clear after that last round was played.

Pool B finished in a three way tie at two wins and one loss apiece among Plant, Clearwater Calvary Christian and Beachside, while First Baptist finished winless in the pool. Beachside had beaten Calvary Christian on October 21, Plant had beaten Beachside on October 24, and Calvary Christian beat Plant on October 28, leaving the three teams locked together.

Calvary Christian won the pool and took the first semifinal spot. That left Plant and Beachside fighting for the second spot, and the tiebreaker went to head to head. Plant held that edge for one reason, this exact five set win over Beachside on its home court.

So a 16-14 finish in October became the result that sent Plant to the Open Division state semifinals in Winter Haven, ahead of a Beachside team with the same pool record.

We Speak Volleyball

Gordon Lee Outlasts Savannah Arts Academy in Five Set Semifinal

Published

3 seconds ago

November 2, 2026

We Speak Media

Gordon Lee volleyball players celebrate on the court in front of the home crowd.

Photo courtesy of Gordon Lee Athletics.

Gordon Lee is going back to the state final. The Trojans beat Savannah Arts Academy 3-2 on Tuesday in the GHSA Class A/AA state semifinals at LakePoint Sports Champions Center in Cartersville.

Gordon Lee controlled the start, winning the first two sets by matching 25-19 scores. Savannah Arts refused to fold. The Panthers took the third set 25-16 and the fourth set 25-18 to even the match and force a deciding fifth set. Gordon Lee steadied itself there and closed the match out 15-9.

The win sent Gordon Lee to the Class A/AA championship match against Bremen on Thursday afternoon. The Trojans entered the semifinal at 42-3. Their road through the bracket included straight set wins over Drew Charter and Thomasville, followed by a sweep of Oglethorpe County in the quarterfinals.

For Savannah Arts, the loss ended another deep October run. The Panthers finished the season 29-15 and reached the state semifinals for the fourth straight year, a streak that includes a state runner up finish in 2024. Savannah Arts had won its quarterfinal at Armuchee 3-1 to set up the semifinal meeting.

The semifinal was part of a full week of GHSA final four matches at LakePoint, where every classification settled its finalists on Tuesday and Wednesday.

No individual stat lines were reported for the semifinal. What the match produced was a finalist. Gordon Lee survived the longest night of its postseason and earned the right to play for a state championship. Savannah Arts, a Savannah program that has become a fixture in the final four, went home one win short of the final after pushing the Trojans to the very end.