Columbus volleyball beats Dunwoody, returns to state championship match
DUNWOODY, Ga. -- Outnumbered in the stands, but not outplayed on the court, the Columbus volleyball team advanced to the Class AAAAA championship game with a rousing win over Dunwoody on Wednesday.
The Blue Devils (36-19) won a hard-fought match 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22) before a packed house. Dunwoody called for a "White Out" and got great support from their pep band and raucous study body. But in the end Columbus had too much and is now in position to win its second straight state championship.
"This team has stepped up when they have their backs to the wall," coach Donna Fleming said. "I like their fighting spirit. Even when they were down in a hostile environment, they were able to get the lead back and win."
The first set established a tone for the evening, with Columbus pulling away late and winning on Tatyana Wyatt's finishing shot. Dunwoody won the second set thanks to an 8-4 run in the middle. Columbus held on in the third game when Dunwoody rallied from five points down to get within one before Shardonee Hayes tipped home the winner.
The deciding set was all tied at 17 when Columbus began its decisive run. The Blue Devils won eight of the next 13 points, with Hayes scoring the game winner.
"We've been working hard since Day 1," said libero Nancy Hatcher, one of the team's two seniors. "We're just excited to still be out there. There difference is we've pulled together and really play together as a team."
Hatcher had a team-high 22 digs. Hayes had 18 kills and three blocks and Jha'Meisheia Griffin had 13 kills. Wyatt had 11 kills and Madison Fleming had 38 assists and 15 digs.
"Our middle attack was totally dominant," Donna Fleming said. "We were able to dominate them on the inside."
Dunwoody, which was trying to become the first public school from DeKalb County to win a state volleyball championship, finished its season 43-5.
Columbus beat Statesboro and Lakeside-Evans in a pair of 3-0 decisions to open the state playoffs and scratched out a 3-2 win over Cambridge in the quarterfinals. The Devils have won six straight matches.
Columbus will play Sequoyah, which beat River Ridge 3-0 for the championship on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Marietta High School. The Blue Devils lost to Sequoyah early in the season.
"All I know is we're going to give everything we've got," Fleming said. "I know the girls will give in their all."
She downplayed the of the idea of back-to-back championships, saying, "I think each team is unique and I want to see each team achieve their potential."
But she's certainly happy to have a chance to bring home the school's third state volleyball championship.
"There were 84 teams that started and only two of them are left," Fleming said. "And I'm glad we're one of them."
This story was originally published October 29, 2014 at 9:11 PM.