Union Co. Lady Panthers go 2-1 in region games
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports January 19, 2020
With two Region 8-AA wins last week, the Union Co. girls basketball team kept pace in the region standings and set up two big showdowns in the coming week that should all but determine the seedings heading into the region tournament.
Sophomore Riley Allison puts the offense in motion against Moticello on Friday, Jan. 17, in Blairsville. Allison finished with five points in the win.
The Lady Panthers (16-4, 7-2) went on the road to take down Elbert Co. (13-7, 5-4) on Tuesday, Jan. 14, by a narrow, four-point margin, 49-45.
Union Co. opened that game on a 25-12 run to get to halftime, and maintained that 13-point lead through the end of the third. The Lady Blue Devils proved why they have moved into fourth in the region standings this season after finishing near the bottom last season by putting on a late run to close the gap before finally falling by four.
Sophomore Ava Hunter led the Lady Panthers with 22 points in the win.
Union Co. followed the victory with their most well-rounded game of the season in a 62-38 rout of Monticello (3-15, 2-7) on Friday, Jan. 17, in Blairsville, that wasn’t as close as the final score.
Senior Brooke Dockrey looks for options against Monticello on Friday, Jan. 17, in Blairsville. Dockrey scored six points in the win.
The Lady Panthers opened that game on a 25-0 run, allowing first-year head coach Crystal Beach to go to her bench early and often.
Nine players scored in the game for Union Co., with only Hunter in double-figures with 10.
Freshman Ellie Cook scored nine, junior Kyla Locklear scored eight, senior Andelin Hill scored seven, and fellow senior Brooke Dockrey scored six.
Freshman Corinne Hill put up five, along with sophomore Riley Allison, who also had five.
Senior Kait McCarter and sophomore Rebekah Chambers each added four.
The starters – Hunter, Andelin Hill, Dockrey, McCarter, and Cook – played sparingly after the 25-0 start, allowing Beach to get her younger players a lot of time of the floor.
Union Co. stumbled to end the week, losing 61-45 to Putnam Co. (17-2, 8-1) on Saturday, Jan. 18, in Eatonton.
Sophomore Caley Davis takes a shot against Moticello on Friday, Jan. 17, in Blairsvlle.
The Lady War Eagles currently sit atop the region standings, along with Rabun Co. (18-1, 8-1).
Rabun Co.’s only loss of the season came to Putnam Co. 58-54 on Jan. 10.
Putnam Co’s only region loss came to Banks Co. (8-12, 4-5) on Dec. 13 by a 37-30 margin.
Union Co. currently sits in third place in the region. The Lady Panthers’ two region losses have come to Rabun Co. (50-46 on Jan. 3 in Blairsville) and Saturday’s loss to Putnam Co.
The Lady Panthers will have plenty of opportunity to make a move into first place in the region this week.
Union Co. starts the week at home against Social Circle (5-13, 2-7) on Tuesday, Jan. 21, in Blairsville. The Lady Panthers defeated the Lady Redskins 56-24 on Dec. 17 on the road.
Union Co. then takes on Rabun Co. on Friday, Jan. 24, in Tiger, before hosting Putnam Co. on Saturday, Jan. 25, in Blairsville.
Brooke Dockrey is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
Lady Panthers, Player of the Week, TeamFYNSports January 13, 2020
Brooke Dockrey is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
Dockrey, a senior guard, was instrumental in three big victories for Union Co. (14-3, 5-1 Region 8-AA) last week as the team kept pace atop the region standings.
On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Dockrey scored just three points but her defense, rebounding, and ball handling were essential as Union Co. defeated region foe Banks Co. (8-10, 4-3) by a score of 45-40 in Homer.
Dockrey scored four points Friday, Jan. 10, as the Lady Panthers won in blowout fashion, 43-13, against Olgethrope Co. (2-12, 0-7) in Blairsville.
Dockrey finished the week with six points for Union Co. against area rival Fannin Co. (13-5, 4-3 Region 7-AAA) as the Lady Panthers earned a 62-47 victory.
For her efforts, Dockrey is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
New head coach set to lead Lady Panthers
Sports, TeamFYNSports November 19, 2019
If the Union County girls basketball program wants to get back to the Class AA state playoffs this season, it will be under the direction of new coach Crystal Beach.
Lady Panthers head coach Crystal Beach
Coming from Class AAAAA’s Buford High, where winning seems to be a common theme among all sports, boys and girls, Beach has brought a winning mentality to Blairsville.
After taking over in June, Beach said she was impressed by how quickly the team, particularly the seniors, embraced her and bought in to her vision.
“The reality is, it’s pretty straight forward: you’re either on board or you’re not and everybody jumped on board,” Beach said. “They love Coach Garrett, but they were excited too.”
Corey Garrett, who coached the team the past two seasons, is now the head boys coach.
While she said moving from metro Atlanta to the north Georgia mountains has been a “big adjustment,” Beach said the school and community has been “warm and welcoming” since she arrived.
She has also found some similarity to where she grew up in Culpepper, Virginia.
Beach played softball at Virginia Tech and has been coaching basketball and other sports for more than a decade in some capacity.
While this may be her first year as a high school basketball head coach, she won two state titles as coach of the Buford volleyball squad.
After taking over the Lady Panthers, Beach said there was immediate focus and dedication to buy-in to the new system.
“They’ve been so coachable, especially the seniors,” Beach said. “I’m so proud of them.”
As to the upcoming season, Beach said the team has the makeup to surprise a lot of people.
“We’ve got senior leadership, young talent, and we are deeper than you might think,” Beach said. “We’re going to take it game-by-game, but I think this is a really great group of talented young women.”
The Lady Panthers are slated to kickoff the 2019-20 season tonight at Towns County.
PREVIEW: Union Lady Panthers have eyes on postseason
Sports, TeamFYNSports November 19, 2019
The Union County Lady Panthers looked to be as advertised last Tuesday night in their preseason scrimmage with Rabun Gap in Blairsville.
Ava Hunter, last season’s Class AA Freshman of the Year, put up 28 points. Senior wing Andelin Hill scored 11, while senior Kait McCarter added nine.
Lady Panthers senior Andelin takes a shot during a scrimmage last week.
Union County won 61-41, but scrimmages don’t mean much in the long run.
What may mean quite a lot is the Lady Panthers look to be in prime position to get back to the state playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
Led by first-year head coach Crystal Beach, who seems to have energized the squad, the team seems to have all the weapons in all the right places to make a run through the region.
To make that run, the team is going to play with as much pace as possible, according to Beach.
“We like to run fast as much as we can,” Beach said. “We want to use the entire floor to our benefit.”
They showed that willingness to run Tuesday, and they don’t plan on slowing down.
The Lady Panthers went 14-11 last season, finishing fifth in Region 8-AA, just a game away from the state playoffs.
This season, Union County’s varsity squad is made up of seniors Brooke Dockrey, Hill, McCarter, and Sarah Sanchez; junior Kyla Locklear; sophomores Riley Allison, Rebekah Chambers, Ansley Collins, Caley Davis, Hunter, and Emma Roxbury; and sophomores Ellie Cook, Kaylee Helton, and Corinne Hill.
If they are going to use speed as the foundation to get over the hump, its all going to start with Dockrey, who will run the point.
Last season, Dockrey led the team with 101 assists, while averaging 6.2 points per game. While some players would be looking to increase their scoring average, Dockrey seems intent on upping her assists.
“I’m going to be looking for more assists this season. It’s my job to control the floor and make sure everything runs smoother,” Dockrey said. “It’s not necessary for me to score; I have to make sure my teammates are scoring.”
When it comes to scoring, Dockrey has plenty of weapons at her disposal.
Sophomore Ava Hunter drives to the basket last week.
Hunter, who is the team’s most dangerous offensive player, led the team with 14.1 points per game as a freshman and seems capable of upping that number this season.
Of course being named the Freshman of the Year also means Hunter is likely to see a few more double – and triple – teams from opposing defenses.
When that happens, the Lady Panthers have strong options, including Hill and McCarter.
McCarter, who is still getting her basketball legs after the end of volleyball season, was second on the team with 10.1 points per game last season. She led the team by pulling down 7.7 rebounds per game. While she likes to play in the post, McCarter shot 39 percent from the 3-point line last season and said she plans to “keep shooting.”
“I like to play out on the wing sometimes, but I definitely don’t mind playing in the post,” McCarter said, adding that she believes the Lady Panthers “have it in us to go to state” this year.
Hill scored 9.9 points per game last season and shot 34 percent from beyond-the-arc.
She plans for both of those numbers to go up during her senior year.
“I’ve worked a whole lot since last year,” Hill said. “Every morning by six or seven, shooting as much as I can.”
What does she think its going to take to get back to state? Simple.
“We can get there by going as hard as we can – every pass, every shot, every practice, every rep – all season,” Hill said.
Dockrey echoed her fellow senior. “We’ve got to treat every game like it’s a championship.”
The goal for Union is the same as most teams: Win a region championship and go to the state playoffs.
But to win a region title in Region 8-AA means going through some stiff competition.
Rabun County went 28-2 overall last season, and went 14-0 on the way to the region title. The team lost four seniors off a team that reached the state quarterfinals. Two of those seniors, Brooke Hendricks and Georgia Stockton, were the team’s leading scorers in the playoffs last season.
Banks County (23-7, 10-4) reached the second round of the state playoffs as the No. 2 seed in 2018-19. They return seniors Heather Vaughn and Sadie Simpson, along with freshman Kamryn Grier. Vaughn is a sure-handed shooter, and Simpson (6-foot-2) and Grier (6-foot) are a tough matchup.
Both Putnam County (16-9, 9-5) and Monticello (15-14, 8-6) were first-round exits as the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds, respectively. Putnam County does return senior Jashanti Simmons, who put up 20.3 points per game last season, along with four other seniors.
The Lady Panthers’ pursuit of the playoffs will start on the road this season. The team’s first four games are out of town, beginning tonight, Nov. 19, at Towns County with tip set for 6 p.m.
After that, the team plays at Fannin County on Nov. 22, at North Hall on Nov. 25, and at White County on Nov. 26.
The Lady Panthers don’t play their home opener until Dec. 3, when Tallulah Falls comes to town.
Union County opens play in Region 8-AA on Dec. 13 against Elbert County at home.
For the Lady Panthers full 2019-20 season schedule, click here.
Four Lady Panthers make all-region volleyball squad
Sports, TeamFYNSports November 14, 2019
Four Union County High volleyball players – seniors Kait McCarter, Adelia Pyle, and Izzy Zamora, and sophomore Riley Allison – have been named to the Region 8-AA All-Region Team.
The four Lady Panthers players led the team to a 15-20 record this season. The team reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament before being eliminated.
For Union County this season, Pyle led the team in kills with 112 and digs with 97. She also added 17 aces with an 87.7 serving percentage.
McCarter had 49 kills to go with 43 total blocks, while Zamora, who served as the team’s libero until an injury in the region tournament, added 51 digs and an 88.5 service percentage.
Allison netted 57 kills and 27 digs, while putting in 10 aces and a 90.8 service percentage.
To read about the Lady Panthers earning a spot in the quarterfinals, go here.
Sophomore Riley Allison was named all-region after accounting for 57 kills and 27 digs this season.
Senior libero Izzy Zamora had 51 digs and an 88.5 serving percentage this season to earn a spot on the all-region team.
Senior Kait McCarter made the all-region team after netting 49 kills and 43 totals blocks this season.
Senior Adelia Pyle led the team in kills (112) and digs (97) this season to earn all-region honors.
Quarterfinal spot earned by Lady Panthers volleyball
Featured Stories, Sports, TeamFYNSports October 27, 2019
Senior Adelia Pyle goes up for a kill for the Lady Panthers. Pyle had 11 kills in the win against Harlem.
HARLEM, GA – The Union County volleyball squad earned a spot in the Class A/AA quarterfinals with a 3-0 win against Harlem on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
The victory, at Harlem, was by a 25-15, 25-23, 25-14 margin.
The Lady Panthers (15-19) were led by senior Adelia Pyle’s 11 kills. She also added two aces, a block and 13 digs in the win.
Pyle was followed by fellow senior Kait McCarter and sophomore Morgan Fussell, who had seven kills each in the match.
Fussell also had five blocked shots to lead Union County.
Sophomore Riley Allison tacked on four kills and two aces for the Lady Panthers.
Freshman Saylor Noe led the team with three aces, while junior libero Haley Noe added two.
Allison was third on the team with 12 digs in the match, while Haley Noe led the team with 14.
Sophomore Maci Williams was the team-leader in assists with 10.
The victory set up a quarterfinal matchup with Region 7-A/AA champion Gordan Lee.
Andelin Hill is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
Lady Panthers, Player of the Week, TeamFYNSports December 22, 2019
Andelin Hill is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
Hill, a senior guard, has been instrumental in helping Union Co. jump out to a 9-1 overall record and a 3-0 record in Region 8-2A.
In two wins last week, Hill’s consistent defense, ball handling, and decision-making led the Lady Panthers to an important region win and a win against an area-rival.
On Tuesday, Dec. 17, Hill and the Lady Panthers made the long ride south to get a convincing, 56-24, win against region-foe Social Circle. Hill scored six points in the game, but only played a few minutes in the third quarter before sitting out the remainder of the game.
The Lady Panthers faced a much tougher test Saturday in Blairsville as old foe Gilmer came calling for a non-conference game.
Hill scored 12 points in the game and was a big part of a pressure defense that allowed Union Co. to build a big second-half lead before hanging on late against the scrappy Lady ‘Cats to earn a 54-52 win.
For her efforts, Hill is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
Ava Hunter is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
Lady Panthers, Player of the Week, TeamFYNSports December 16, 2019
Ava Hunter is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
Hunter, a sophomore post player, continued her strong play in two wins for Union Co. (7-1, 2-0 Region 8-AA) last week.
“Ava is one of the best competitors I’ve ever seen,” Union Co. head coach Crystal Beach said of Hunter.
Hunter, who was the Class AA Freshman of the Year last season, surpassed 500 career points Saturday, Dec. 14, during a 56-39 win at Monticello. She finished with a game-high 21 points to help the Lady Panthers earn their second region win of the season.
On Friday, Dec. 13, in the first Region 8-AA game of the season against Elbert Co. in Blairsville, Hunter scored 16 as Union Co. earned the 58-46 victory.
For her efforts, Hunter is the TeamFYNSports Player of the Week for the Lady Panthers!
Union girls take down Towns in Hiawassee
Sports, Team FYN Sports November 20, 2019
From the opening tip Tuesday night in Hiawassee, it was clear that the Union Co. girls basketball team was intent on putting the home team Lady Indians away early. The end result was a 70-34 Lady Panthers win in their first game of the season.
Towns Co. (2-1) was led by 5-foot-10 point guard Kennedi Henson with 11 points.
Union Co. (1-0) had four players in double-digits on the night, even though most of the starters began sitting during the second half.
The difference in the game came in the third quarter, when the Lady Panthers defense held Towns Co. to just one point in the period. Heading into the final quarter, Union Co. held a 33-point lead at 62-29.
Union Co. coach Crystal Beach said she was very happy with how her team performed in her first regular-season outing as the team’s head coach.
Lady Panthers head coach Crystal Beach
“It was a total team offensive and defensive win for us,” Beach said, praising the attention to detail the Lady Panthers showed on each end of the court.
Union Co. sophomore Ava Hunter had a game-high 15 points, with 12 of those coming in the first two quarters.
Senior Andelin Hill was second on the team with 14 points, while freshman Ellie Cook began her high-school basketball career with 12 points.
Senior Kait McCarter added 11 points on the night for the Lady Panthers in the win.
Up next for Union Co. is West Hall from Class AAAA. That game is set to start at 3 p.m., Monday, Nov. 25, and will take place at North Forsyth High in Cumming. The Lady Panthers then visit White County for a 6 p.m. game Tuesday, Nov. 26, in Cleveland.
Towns Co. will visit Andrews (N.C.) beginning at 6:15 p.m., Friday, Nov. 22, before hosting Highlands (N.C.) at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 25, in Hiawassee.
The Lady Panthers and Lady Indians will face off again Tuesday, Dec. 6. That game is set to begin at 7 p.m. in Blairsville.
Sanchez wins region championship for Union County
Sports, TeamFYNSports October 31, 2019
Senior Zoe Sanchez won the Region 8-AA cross country championship with a time of 20 minutes, 35 seconds.
LEXINGTON, GA – Senior Zoe Sanchez has brought a Region 8-AA championship to Union County High School.
Sanchez took first place for the Lady Panthers cross country team at the Region 8-AA championships last week at Oglethorpe County High in Lexington.
Sanchez ran to the top spot Oct. 22 with a time of 20 minutes, 35 seconds, more than 25 seconds faster than the next closest finisher, senior Mari Jablonski (21:02) from Monticello.
Senior Sadie Underwood competes for the Union County Cross Country team.
Oglethorpe Co. freshman Lizzie Wadsworth placed third with a time of 21:56, while sophomore Julie Russell, from Social Circle, finished fourth with a time of 22:03.
Madison Nimmons, a senior from Oglethorpe Co. rounded out the top five region finishers with a time of 22:11.
For Union County, senior Sadie Underwood placed eighth with a time of 22:52. Underwood finished as the second-fastest runner for the Lady Panthers.
Fellow senior Lexi Ochoa placed 23rd overall out of 50 runners with a time of 25:37.
As a team, Union County placed fourth overall with a total time of 2 hours, 1 minute, and 20 seconds. The average finishing time for Union County was 24:16.
Lady Panthers lose first game of season at Fannin Co.
Lady Panthers, TeamFYNSports December 9, 2019
Sophomore Ava Hunter drives the lane against Fannin Co. on Saturday. Hunter finished with a game-high 17 points.
The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 5-0 overall record this season, but suffered their first loss Saturday, Dec. 7, on the road at Fannin Co., 52-47.
Union Co. (5-1) was in the game late, but too many turnovers forced by a full-court Lady Rebels press in the fourth quarter led to the loss.
Head coach Crystal Beach said the Lady Panthers have to start quicker and continue to press throughout the game.
“We got off to a slow start, even with the early lead,” Beach said. “We can’t have that, and it’s a big part of what we need to develop right now. We can’t wait until the third quarter to start playing with urgency.”
Union Co. took an early lead on Fannin Co. (5-2, 0-2 Region 7-AAA), but the home team managed to bounce back quickly and tie the game at 13 all after the first quarter.
Sophomore Ava Hunter scored seven of her game-high 17 points in the first, including shooting 5-of-8 from the free-throw line in the period. She finished the game 9-of-14 from the line.
So far this season, Hunter is leading the team with 18.8 points per game just a year removed from being named the 2018-19 Class AA Freshman of the Year.
“Ava is one of the best competitors I’ve ever seen,” Beach said. “We’re going to expect her to continue to produce like she has, and I don’t see any reason to expect she won’t.”
Senior Andelin Hill goes up for a shot against Fannin Co. on Saturday. Hill finished with seven points.
Hunter is also averaging double-digit rebounds per game for the Lady Panthers.
The Lady Rebels buried three 3-pointers in the second quarter to take a 27-22 lead over Union Co. heading into halftime.
Freshman Ellie Cook hit a 3-pointer, senior Andelin Hill made a pair of free throws, and Hunter scored twice from the block, but it wasn’t enough to draw even before halftime.
The Lady Panthers came out with purpose in the third quarter to draw within a point at 36-35 at the end of the period.
Senior Brooke Dockrey scored all seven of her points in the third quarter, while senior Kait McCarter went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
McCarter finished 9-of-10 from the charity stripe to account for all nine of her points.
Senior Kait McCarter moves in for a rebound against Fannin Co. on Saturday. McCarter finished the game with nine points.
“Kait leads by her actions and has been all season. Her teammates assume she’s going to make free throws, because that is what she does: whatever we need when we need it most. That’s all you can ask for,” Beach said.
Despite the pushback, all the momentum was going Fannin Co.’s way, inspired by a full-court defense that gave Union Co.’s guard fits all afternoon.
“We just didn’t execute well,” Beach said of the game as a whole. “We didn’t take the shots we should have taken and didn’t make a lot of shots we’re going to need to make moving forward.”
Despite the loss, Beach has no plans to change the team’s philosophy of playing as fast as possible.
“That is absolutely the mindset. We want to force turnovers, push the ball, and score in transition. We have to play our best and just continue to get better,” Beach said. “But most of all, we have to focus on jumping out fast and never letting up.”
Up next for Union Co. is the Region 8-AA opener against Elbert Co., beginning at 6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 13, in Blairsville. Elbert Co. is 2-1 overall and is a year removed from reaching the second round of the Class AA state playoffs.
The Lady Panthers and Lady Blue Devils split their two matchups last season, with each team winning on the road.
To read about the Union Co. Lady Panthers Player of the Week, click here.
Seven Lady Panthers named to softball all-region team
Sports, TeamFYNSports November 13, 2019
Seven members of the Union County High varsity softball squad were recently named to the Region 8-AA All-Region team as voted on by the region coaches. The Lady Panthers finished the season in the second round of the state playoffs. Those players honored included:
Junior Trinity Queen was named the Region 8-AA Pitcher of the Year this season. Queen had a 2.444 earned run average in 91 innings pitched this season. She struck out 81 batters, while walking just 17, and earned seven wins in 15 starts.
Sophomore Lexi Sisum was named to the Region 8-AA All-Region First Team. Sisum had 32 hits, three triples, two home runs, 14 runs batted in, 22 runs scored, and a .348 batting average in 92 at-bats this season.
Junior Hannah Patton was named to the All-Region First Team for Region 8-AA this season. Patton had 20 hits, a home run, 10 runs batted in, 10 runs scored, and a .238 batting average in 84 at-bats. From her catcher position, Patton accounted for 149 put-outs.
Senior Miranda Lockaby was named to the Region 8-AA All-Region First Team. Lockaby had 25 hits, 14 runs batted in, 14 runs scored, and a .281 batting average in 89 at-bats. From the field, she had 55 put-outs and 48 assists.
Senior Megan Bright was named Region 8-AA All-Region First Team after her performance this season. Bright went 9-4 from the circle with 61 strikeouts and a 1.985 earned run average.
Senior Mary Wischmeyer was named First Team All Region for Region 8-AA this season. She accounted for 40 hits, four home runs, 19 runs batted in, 20 runs scored, and a batting average of .404 in 99 at-bats this year.
Sophomore Emma Roxbury was named a Region 8-AA Honorable Mention for her performance this season. Roxbury had 21 hits, 10 runs batted in, and nine runs scored with a .328 batting average in 64 at-bats.
Volleyball team from Union County ready for second round
Sports, TeamFYNSports October 22, 2019
BLAIRSVILLE, GA – The volleyball squad from Union County will make the three-hour trip south Wednesday, Oct. 23, to take on Harlem in the second round of the Class A/AA playoffs.
The Lady Panthers (14-19) earned a spot in the second round by taking down Model (24-18) Saturday, October 19. That match was also played at Harlem.
Union County won the match 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-19) to earn the second-round bid.
Union County head coach Megan Swanson
“We played with really good team chemistry,” coach Megan Swanson said. “We didn’t come out sluggish, which was a worry after the three-plus hour bus ride down. Instead, we showed up and took care of business.”
The Lady Panthers were led by senior Adelia Pyle, who had six aces, six kills and a block in the three sets against Model.
Senior Kait McCarter added eight blocks and six kills, while sophomore Riley Allison led the team with nine kills.
Junior Haley Noe digs a ball for the Lady Panthers. Noe will service as the team’s libero for the remainder of the playoffs.
Haley Noe played well in the match with a team-high 18 digs and two aces serving. Noe stepped into the libero role after senior Izabella Zamora suffered a season-ending hand injury during the region tournament.
“Haley has stepped into that role very well for us,” Swanson said. “She’s playing well and helping lead our team.”
While Union County’s overall record may not seem impressive, Swanson said it may be misleading.
“When you get into the state playoffs, you play the best-of-five games,” Swanson said. “So I tried to schedule our out-of-area matches against teams, mainly from North Carolina, that played the best-of-five so that we would be accustomed to that.”
Senior Adelia Pyle goes up for a kill for the Lady Panthers. Pyle had six aces and six kills in the first-round win.
A good many of those teams are from higher classifications. So while the matches may have went down in the record books as losses, the experience gained by the Lady Panthers can’t be recorded.
That experience proved its worth Saturday.
Georgia volleyball squads normally play matches in a best-of-three sets format.
“Even when you play a tri-match with two schools, you get a break between while the other two school play each other. You have to go straight through at least three sets in the playoffs,” Swanson said.
The pre-planning showed on Saturday as the Lady Panthers were readily prepared to not only play five sets, but dominate them.
Harlem comes into the second round as the Region 2-A/AA champion, setting up a challenge for the Lady Panthers.
“I feel confident, and I know the team does,” Swanson said. “We can win and move on. We want to raise the first volleyball banner in school history.”
Lady Panthers softball advances to second round of state
Sports, TeamFYNSports October 13, 2019
BLAIRSVILLE, GA – With a sweep of visiting Therrell on Tuesday, Oct. 8, the Union County softball squad punched a ticket to the second round of the Class AA state playoffs.
Hannah Patton smacks a hit for Union County.
The Lady Panthers (15-13) will now face Region 2-AA champion Vidalia (26-5) with a trip to the state quarterfinals on the line.
Union County will have a challenge as Vidalia has advanced past the second round of the state playoffs three times in the past four seasons.
The Lady Indians dominated visiting Westside in the first round by scores of 11-0 and 20-0 to earn their fifth-straight trip to the second round.
Union County also dominated in the first round. The Lady Panthers earned wins in both games of a first-round doubleheader with Therrell (13-6) by scores of 22-0 and 17-0.
Caley Davis plays the field for the Union County softball team.
In the first game with Therrell, Union County’s Trinity Queen threw a gem from the circle.
Queen faced just nine batters during the three-inning, mercy-rule win. She struck out six of those to earn the victory.
In game two, Union County put seven runs on the board in the first inning and never looked back, adding one in the second, six in the third, and three in the fourth to earn the four-inning, mercy-rule victory.
Union County will visit Vidalia for a chance to advance to the quarterfinals. Vidalia is located in south-central Georgia, about 90 miles west of Savannah; more than four hours travel time from Blairsville.
First pitch for the doubleheader between the Lady Panthers and Lady Indians is set for 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15.
State playoff run comes to end for Union County
Sports, TeamFYNSports October 22, 2019
VIDALIA, GA – The state playoff run for the Union County Lady Panthers softball squad ended Oct. 17 with a loss to Vidalia on the road in the second round of the Class AA postseason.
Caley Davis crosses the plate for Union County.
The Lady Panthers (16-15) lost the third game of the three-game series 10-2 after forcing game three with a gutsy win the day before.
The Lady Panthers struck first in the game. The offense put a run on the board in the top half of the first inning on a leadoff homerun from senior Mary Wischmeyer.
Wischmeyer took the first pitch she saw from Vidalia starting pitcher Madison Starr and sent it over the centerfield wall to put Union County up 1-0.
Starr settled in from there, retiring the majority of batters she faced and keeping the Union County bats quiet. Other than a bunt single from Ansley Collins to start the second inning, Starr was clean until the top of the sixth.
Trailing 6-1, the Lady Panthers managed to score their second run of the game thanks to an earned walk and a ground-ball triple.
Tori Tracy fires the ball for the Lady Panthers.
After Lexi Sisum earned a one-out walk on five pitches in the top of the sixth, Emma Roxbury drove a sharp ground ball past the third baseman. Roxbury came into third base with a triple and Sisum crossed the plate to give Union County life down 6-2.
Back-to-back ground-ball outs ended the threat for Union County, who went into the bottom of the sixth still trailing 6-2.
Vidalia poured on the runs in the bottom half of the frame, putting four runners across the plate to earn the mercy-rule win, six-inning victory.
Wischemeyer, Roxbury, and Collins were the only Lady Panthers to get a hit in the loss.
With the final out, Union County’s run in the Class AA state playoff came to an end.
Lady Panthers volleyball headed to state playoffs
Sports, TeamFYNSports October 2, 2019
Union County High senior libero Izabella Zamora.
BLAIRSVILLE, GA – The Lady Panthers volleyball team is headed to the Class A/AA state playoffs.
After taking down Lake Oconee County 2-1 Tuesday night, Union County (12-18, 4-1 Region 8-A/AA Public) secured the second seed in the region tournament and an automatic bid in the state playoffs.
Union County High volleyball senior Kaitlyn King.
After dropping the first game of the match 19-25, the Panthers rallied to win a tight, 25-23, second game and force a final game on Senior Night.
Head coach Megan Swanson said the way the team rallied to win the second game showed just how resilient they can be.
“We just pulled through to win the second game, and that required a lot of heart,” Swanson said. “There was a lot of emotion on the line and the girls knew exactly how big the match was. With it being Senior Night, a region game, and playoff positioning on the line, the team rallied in that second game.”
Union County High senior Adelia Pyle.
Swanson said the team’s five seniors – Kaitlyn King, Kait McCarter, Adelia Pyle, Bella Rosales, and Izabella Zamora – have helped give the team what’s needed to overcome adversity.
“The seniors have done a really good job to be leaders this season. Most of them stepped into roles that they weren’t necessarily comfortable with, but they went with it with class and integrity,” Swanson said. “They set a good example for their current teammates and the ones to come along in the future. They gave it their hardest effort and you can’t ask for much more than that.”
Lady Panthers senior Kait McCarter.
Much like the match Tuesday, Swanson said his seniors learned how to overcome adversity throughout the season, giving them what they needed to lead the team back for a win in the second game.
Union Co. closed out the match with a 15-10 victory in the third game.
Lady Panthers senior Bella Rosales.
The Lady Panthers will be the No. 2 seed in the Region 8/AA Public tournament, and will host the first round Tuesday, Oct. 8.
They will play at 6 p.m. against the winner of Washington-Wilks and Oglethorpe County.