Sherwood Christian, Valwood meet twice Friday in volleyball and football

ALBANY — Sherwood Christian’s Friday will begin with Valwood across a volleyball net in Monroe and end with Valwood across a football line in Valdosta.

Same schools. Two sports. One demanding day.

The Lady Eagles will face top-seeded Valwood on Friday morning in the GIAA Class AA volleyball semifinals at George Walton Academy. Hours later, Sherwood’s football team will visit top-ranked Valwood for an important region game.

Sherwood athletic director Jay Flynt said the Eagles embrace opportunities to measure themselves against top competition and look forward to representing their school with excellence.

The Valwood football team is 6-1 and averaging 41 points per game. They are coming off a 52-0 win over Brookwood. The Eagles are 4-2 and are averaging 39 points per game. The Eagles lost 54-22 to Southwest Georgia last Friday night.

For the volleyball team, Friday brings a familiar opponent and a season hanging in the balance.

Sherwood and Valwood do not need introductions. They have played twice this season, spent nine sets testing one another and walked away with one victory apiece.

Friday’s third meeting will settle the season series.

It will also determine who plays for the state championship.

Sherwood handed Valwood its first loss of the season in Albany. The Valiants returned the favor in Valdosta, surviving a five-set match against the Lady Eagles.

“Valwood is going to earn plenty of its own points,” Sherwood coach Briana Collins said. “We don’t need to give them away freely.”

That has been Collins’ message throughout the week as Sherwood prepares for a Valwood team that enters the Final Four as the tournament’s No. 1 seed with a 16-2 record.

The Valiants swept Oak Mountain 3-0 in the quarterfinals. Sherwood reached the semifinals with its own straight-set victory, dispatching No. 11 seed St. Mary’s Academy on Saturday in Albany.

The Lady Eagles set the tone immediately.

Lizzie Hooks served Sherwood to an 11-0 lead in the opening set, delivering three aces during the run. Lizzy Roberts added a six-point service run, while Hooks and Melia Mallard controlled play at the net in a 25-11 victory.

St. Mary’s, which reached the quarterfinals by upsetting fifth-seeded Georgia Christian, offered more resistance in the second set and pulled even at 8-8. Sherwood answered behind another strong run from Roberts and the net play of Hooks and Justice Perryman before finishing the sweep in the third.

Now the challenge becomes maintaining that level against the tournament favorite.

“We have to minimize errors,” Collins said. “Our serve-receive team has to be moving as one and keeping the ball in system as much as possible to allow us to run a dynamic offense.”

Sherwood cannot afford to depend on one dominant hitter or one exceptional server. Collins said beating Valwood will require contributions from the entire rotation.

“We can’t rely on one or two people to win,” she said. “It will take every person showing up at 100% to do their job.”

The Lady Eagles have spent the week working to eliminate unforced errors and create what Collins calls “runs of three.” Three consecutive points can turn a deficit into a tie, a tie into a lead or a close set into one controlled by Sherwood.

“Earn three points in a row and you control the momentum of the game,” Collins said.

Just as important will be Sherwood’s response when that momentum shifts. Collins has emphasized a “next-ball mentality,” encouraging her players not to carry one mistake into the next point.

“Mistakes will happen,” she said. “We say forgive and forget.”

The Lady Eagles will not enter Friday intimidated by Valwood’s record or top seed. They already know they can beat the Valiants because they have done it. They also understand how narrow the margin can be after falling in five sets on Valwood’s home floor.

That combination has brought a different energy to practice.

“We’re pumped,” Collins said. “There’s a level of excitement and intensity going into this week that I haven’t seen yet.”

Collins also wants her players to remain loose. The Lady Eagles, she said, are at their best when intensity does not come at the expense of enjoyment.

“My team plays much better when we’re having fun,” she said. “There’s a level of focus and fun that happens at practice to keep us loose and playing hard.”

By Friday night, Sherwood’s football players will have their opportunity against Valwood beneath the lights in Valdosta.

Before then, the Lady Eagles will try to deliver the first statement of the day—and earn the right to play for a state championship.