Ejieke adds milestone as Lady Canes cruise to first-round playoff win; Adairsville falls to Calhoun
October 18, 2026
Scott Barkley / CanesAthletics.com
Cartersville High’s career kills leader, Amara Ejieke, added another milestone on Oct. 17, scoring her 1,000th kill in a first-round playoff sweep of Cedartown.
The point came from the left side off an Emma Wall assist in the second set, making the score 6-1 on the way to a 25-12 Cartersville win. The Lady Canes opened with a 25-15 win over the visitors and finished with a 25-10 third-set victory.
Cartersville (35-5) will host Druid Hills (23-16-2) on Wednesday in the Storm Center. Fans are encouraged to wear white for a white-out in partnership with Bartow Family Resources. If a student brings a 12+ pack of diapers or a 3+ pack of wipes, they will be among the first to get the new student section T-shirts for volleyball and basketball games.
“It was a great feeling,” said Ejieke, who passed Ailee England on Oct. 6 in a win over Midtown to become the CHS All-Time leader. “My teammates really helped me to reach [1000 kills]. This year we’ve had good chemistry with our setters, Emma and Brooke, and it’s really shown.”
England was a major influence on her.
“I’d watch her play when I was on JV and in middle school, and she was so good. She pushed the team and had a lot of grit and was really smart with her shots. I’d watch and be like, ‘Wow, How did she do that?’ That made me want to hit like her.”
. he had left an impact, figuratively and literally, on her teammates.
“I cannot say enough good things about Amara,” said outside hitter Holly Dufrene. “I’ve played with her since the sixth grade, and she’s always been a stellar teammate. She’s quiet, but reliable. When she goes to the net, everybody ducks and covers.”
“She’s been a silent leader, even as a sophomore,” said head coach Kyle Lundberg. “Amara comes in, does what she’s supposed to do, goes hard every day in practice and has been a model for these younger girls. She’s a 4+ GPA, too, and a lot more than just volleyball.”
Ejieke finished with 12 kills against Cedartown. Blakely Morris had nine, while Dufrene, Adelynn England, and Sammie Camper each had four.
Emma Wall had 17 assists, followed by Brooke Belarmino’s 14. Kenzie Wilkie led the way in digs (10) and aces (7). England had six digs, while Ejieke added four. Belarmino had five aces, followed closely by Morris with four.
Cartersville built an 11-4 lead in the first set before Cedartown fired off seven straight points to tie. Ejieke's kill broke another tie for a 14-13 lead, and the Lady Canes outscored the Bulldogs 11-2 the rest of the way.
Reese Gibson’s second-set kill gave her team a 9-2 lead. The junior later teamed up with Dufrene for a block to build a 17-6 advantage. Belarmino’s assist to Morris for the kill ended the set at 25-12.
Cedartown won a long third-set rally to close the gap, 10-8. Back-to-back aces by Wilkie, though, extended the Cartersville lead to 19-9. Kills by Camper, Ejieke, and Morris, along with three aces by Belarmino, ended the set and match.
“We did what we needed to do,” said Lundberg of the 112th game in his third year leading the program. “Our first set was very slow. Second set, we did what we were supposed to do. Third set, it was slow again.
“This last month, we’ve focused on a dig-or-die mentality. We’ll play a game [at practice] where if you’re up, but the other team scores and you don’t get a dig, then you go back to zero. So it’s basically everyone flying around. You have to have that mentality. You have to be all-in.”
ADAIRSVILLE FALLS IN OPENING ROUND AT CALHOUN
The Adairsville Lady Tigers volleyball team lost in three straight sets on Saturday at Calhoun and were eliminated from the Class 4A state playoffs. Adairsville finished the season 13-23.
Calhoun (30-13), the classification's No. 3 seed, advanced to the second round and will host Troup County on Tuesday.
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