Adairsville survives three elimination matches Saturday to qualify for Class AAA state playoffs

After finishing the regular season as one of the lower seeds, the Lady Tigers put together an impressive post-season run Saturday in the Region 6-AAA tournament and earned a surprise spot in the Class AAA State volleyball tournament finishing third.

The Tigers had dropped six of seven matches heading into Saturday’s play — including a tournament opening round loss to LaFayette Thursday night. That left the Lady Tigers needing a trio of consecutive wins Saturday in the double-elimination tournament just to keep their season alive.

Adairsville found a way to get it done.

The Tigers defeated Ringgold, Gordon Lee, and Coahulla Creek in succession Saturday to earn the region’s No. 3-seed.

Adairsville dropped the opening set to Ringgold 25-13, but rallied for a tight 25-22, 21-19 win. That was followed by another three-set nail-biter with the Tigers winning 25-20, 20-25, and 15-10. The victory over Coahulla Creek was almost as close. Adairsville took the three set win 25-18, 17-25, and 15-11.

Adairsville (15-23-2) opens the Class AAA state playoffs on the road Tuesday night with a match against Region 5-AAA runner-up Carver-Atlanta. Oconee County is the top seed in the Adairsville portion of the bracket. The Warriors (43-7) host Lumpkin County (18-14) in Tuesday’s first round.