Cartersville volleyball advances to state quarterfinals

The ninth-ranked Lady Canes’ volleyball team defeated visiting Heritage-Catoosa Tuesday night at the Storm Center 25-18, 25-14, and 25-20 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Class AAAA state playoffs for the first time in program history.

Cartersville (28-3) will play again Saturday against an opponent to be determined by the GHSA volleyball re-seeding committee. The top four of eight remaining teams will host Saturday’s matches.

The other teams advancing in Class AAAA (and their final regular season ranking via Score Atlanta / AJC) include top-ranked Blessed Trinity, 2nd-ranked Marist, 3rd-ranked St. Pius X, 4th-ranked Woodward Academy, 6th-ranked Northside-Columbus, Richmond Academy, and Hardaway.

In Tuesday’s win, Lady Canes’ coach Dutch Cothran was pleased with his team’s play.

“It was a great performance by our ladies tonight,” said Cothran. “After two days of not-so-hot practices, our girls came out with a chip on their shoulders and played very well.”

Cothran noted several key performances and was encouraged by his team's cohesiveness.

"Lauren Wenzell and Elsa Evans were very steady for us tonight. Catie (Heilman) and Nedu (Evans) each played well, so to have our four main hitters playing that well and our passers doing the things they did was a great feeling. Grace Hunter played possibly her best match of the season and our bench was also amazing. They were so engaged and enthusiastic! I love seeing everybody fulfilling the roles it takes to win and advance!”