Daily Dive: Cartersville, Walton volleyball sweep Calhoun

The 2025 GHSA Volleyball season is about to wrap up its first month of action this weekend as September arrives and August is making sure to go out with a bang as more signature wins are added and undefeated records are spoiled. In just the last week, we have seen several of the most noteworthy victories of the season so far. On Aug. 26, Woodward Academy and Pace Academy looked poised to meet in a battle of unbeaten that evening, however, North Forsyth scored a 2-0 sweep over Woodward Academy in Game 1 of the War Eagles’ double-header and then Woodward responded with a 2-0 sweep over 4-0 Pace Academy—leaving both teams with the first loss of their season.

Woodward Academy is ranked No. 49 in the latest Maxpreps National poll and the win over Pace Academy signaled that the team had returned to dominance after falling to the Raiders of North Forsyth. The following day, however, Woodward stamped a 2-0 win over St. Pius in the first game of their tri-match and suffered a 2-0 loss to Lovett in the nightcap. Last year, Alpharetta went undefeated and was unanimously considered the top team in the state regardless of classification. This year, the Raiders have lost to Cartersville and none of the No. 1 ranked teams are still undefeated.

With more games coming this weekend, the rankings are already going to experience movement across the board. A team that will be placed under closer evaluation is Calhoun. I spotlighted Class 3A No. 2 ranked Calhoun in my recruiting blog yesterday with the understanding that his stretch of the season would be a major measuring stick. With reigning Region 7 Player of the Year and Kentucky-commit Gracison Saylor leading the Yellow Jackets, it feels like 2025 is the group’s best chance to make a run at their elusive first-ever title.

As Thursday proved, however, there is still room to grow for the program and an opportunity to improve. After getting swept by Class 6A No. 1 ranked Walton in the opening match, Calhoun was swept by Cartersville 2-0 with a 25-20 loss in the first set and a disappointing 25-13 result in the closing set. Cartersville’s 6-foot-1 senior Riley Huff had a dominant performance with a team-high six blocks and helped stifle Calhoun’s attack.

Stay tuned for the Week 4 rankings to drop this Monday as September marks the heart of the region schedules for all of our top 10 teams.

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