COLUMBUS, Ga. – Columbus High’s volleyball team steamrolled its way into the Class AAA elite eight Tuesday evening, sweeping Ringgold, 25-10, 25-13, 25-10 in the second round of the state playoffs.
The win put the fourth-ranked Blue Devils (30-21) in the final eight for the eighth straight year.
“I feel like we’re playing strong right now,” coach Donna Fleming said. “The girls have a lot of confidence and like playing on their home court.”
Ringgold (22-18), which had survived a five-game match at Cartersville in the first round, was within 12-8 in the first game Tuesday, but the Blue Devils scored six straight points and cruised.
“It’s very difficult for us to match up with a team that has Columbus’ size,” said Ringgold coach John Gaston. “We just tried to hit the ball as much as we could to disrupt their offense and dig the ball as much as we could. But Columbus is just an excellent team.”
Columbus scored the first six points of Game 2, but the Tigers closed to within five points — the final time coming at 15-10 on a hitting error by the Blue Devils — but Columbus put its foot on the gas and scored 10 of the game’s final 13 points.
Holding a 2-0 lead, Fleming played some of her substitutes in game three and Ringgold hung around until about midway through. A kill by the Lady Tigers’ Kayce Craig pulled Ringgold to within 12-8, but Columbus ran off the next nine points.
Khadijah Wiley, a 6-foot-1 middle hitter who has committed to East Tennessee State, paced the Blue Devils’ offensive attack with 14 kills.
Contact Joe Myers at sports@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6273.