Sarah Dolmovich of Signal Mountain hits a shot from the fairway at Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club in August.The jewelry case in Sarah Dolmovich's room has two state championship rings.
She would like to add to that collection this week when she leads Signal Mountain into the Class A/AA state championship on Tuesday and Wednesday at Willowbrook Golf Club.
"My scores have been gradually going down, and I shot a season-low of 74 the other day," said Dolmovich, who underwent knee surgery less than a year ago. "I feel like I've finally put all aspects of my game together. It's great to be a senior and No. 1 on the team.
"I think I've got a shot to win."
The Lady Eagles are two-time defending champions. Dolmovich will be joined in Manchester by teammates Andi Fisher and Haley Davidson who also have state-championship jewelry.
"I think they're ready," Signal Mountain coach Rodney Mitchell said. "They understand that not many teams have a chance to play for state titles, much less win three in a row."
Signal Mountain's girls teams will be joined at the state tournament by the Boyd-Buchanan girls' squad, and on the boys' side, Chattanooga will be represented by East Hamilton and Notre Dame.
This is the first state tournament appearance for East Hamilton which won the Region 3 tournament at Chatata Valley last Monday.
"I know my kids are just as talented as anybody, but it's about being able to put it together for two straight days," Hurricanes coach Jeff Stetzler said. "We have a young team. We expect to win. But I think a top-3 would be a strong performance. We know who the main competition is."
And that is Notre Dame.
The Irish have qualified for the state tournament in each of the last two years. They enter the championship with the best Region Championship score by 10 strokes -- albeit on a par-70 course.
The Irish finished third two years ago and runner-up last year. Moving up one more spot this would result in a state championship and a ring-sizing ceremony.
"I feel like our whole team has a lot of experience because we've had district up there and we played in the Willowbrook tournament," Irish senior Kyle Holley said. "We have a solid team. Most of us usually shoot in the 70s.
"But we have to be smart out there."