2008 season updates
Oct 25 The Lady Trojans' season ended with a 25-10, 25-14, 25-21 loss to Walker in the first round of the state tournament. Alli O'Neal had 21 digs, five aces, and five kills for GLHS. Jill Johnson had 32 digs while Kayla Pierce had 16 digs and nine assists. Gordon Lee finished with a record of 20-15.
Oct 18 Gordon Lee finished second in the Area 6-AA/A tournament, falling to Darlington 25-22, 25-10, 23-25, 25-21 in the finals. GLHS had fought back through the loser's bracket, knocking off Sonoraville 25-13, 25-13 and Temple 25-17, 25-23 to reach the championship match. Jill Johnson and Alli O'Neal were named to the All-Area first team while Amber Early and Hannah Hixon were named Honorable Mention. Kelly Mariakis was nominated for Player of the Year. The Lady Trojans reached 20 wins for the second consecutive season and advanced to the state tournament for the second year in a row.
Oct 16 The Lady Trojans punched their ticket to the state tournament by winning two of three matches in the Area 6-AA/A tournament. GLHS won its first round match against Adairsville 25-10, 25-11, but fell to Temple 25-20, 22-25, 25-19 in the next round. Gordon Lee bounced back to defeat Rockmart 25-12, 25-12 to clinch a spot in the Area final four. Jill Johnson had a huge night defensively with 58 digs. Kaita McGregor had 14 kills, Kelly Mariakis had 23 assists, while Hannah Hixon and Sara Holder each served eight aces.
Oct 14 Gordon Lee won a pair of matches on Senior Night. GLHS beat LaFayette in three sets, 25-17, 15-25, 25-16, before dispatching Calhoun 25-18, 25-10. Senior Hannah Hixon finished the night with 12 kills and seven blocks while fellow senior Amber Early had 11 kills.
Oct 7 The Lady Trojans won two of three matches to wrap up the number two seed in the upcoming Area tournament. GLHS started the day with a tough 25-23, 25-27, 25-18 loss to Darlington. Jill Johnson had 27 digs, Alli O'Neal had 16 digs and seven kills, and Kelly Mariakis dished out 15 assists in the match. GLHS bounced back with a 25-12, 25-20 win over Sonoraville. Johnson again led Gordon Lee in digs with nine, while Kayla Pierce added eight digs. Kaita McGregor put down nine kills against the Lady Phoenix. In the nightcap the Lady Trojans defeated Calhoun 25-15, 25-11. Hannah Hixon registered five kills.
Oct 2 Gordon Lee beat Ridgeland 25-22, 21-25, 25-16, before losing 25-13, 25-20 to Northwest Whitfield, the fourth-ranked team in Class AAAA. Alli O'Neal had 21 digs and five kills in the first match while Jill Johnson had 15 digs in the nightcap. The JV team defeated the Lady Panthers to finish its season with a perfect 14-0 record.
Sep 25 The Lady Trojans lost a pair of non-Area matches, falling to Southeast Whitfield 25-13, 25-22, and to Dalton 25-14, 26-24. Jill Johnson led GLHS with 28 digs, while Alli O'Neal had 17 digs and six kills, Hannah Hixon had seven kills, and Kelly Mariakis added 15 assists. The JV team kept winning, beating both Southeast and Dalton.
Sep 22 Gordon Lee beat Murray County 25-10, 25-16. The JV team defeated both Murray County and Rome.
Sep 18 The Lady Trojans split a pair of matches, losing to LFO 25-17, 25-13, but bouncing back to defeat Murray County 25-19, 25-22. Jill Johnson led GLHS with 28 digs, while Kaita McGregor had 11 kills and two blocks. Alli O'Neal had six aces and 18 digs, and Sara Holder had three aces and 13 digs. Kelli Mariakis dished out 12 assists to go with seven digs, and Kayla Pierce added 10 assists and eight digs. The JV team remained undefeated with straight-set wins over both the Lady Warriors and the Lady Indians.
Sep 16 Gordon Lee defeated Murray County 25-15, 25-10. Hannah Hixon led GLHS with five kills while Alli O'Neal added five aces. Kayla Pierce, Alex Russell, and Jill Johnson had 16, 12, and 11 digs respectively. Kelly Mariakis chipped in with seven digs, six assists, three kills, and two aces. The JV team beat the Lady Indians in straight sets.
Sep 13 GLHS split four matches in the Raider Rally at Southeast Whitfield. The Lady Trojans opened the day by knocking off Pickens 25-8, 25-23, and Gilmer 25-19, 25-22, but dropped a three-setter to the host team 16-25, 25-16, 15-11, before falling to LFO 25-16, 25-18.
Sep 11 The Lady Trojans won their fifth straight match, beating Heritage 21-25, 25-23, 28-26. The JV team stayed unbeaten with a three-set win over the Lady Generals.
Sep 9 Gordon Lee won three Area matches, beating Adairsville 25-15, 25-19, Temple 25-20, 25-8, and Rockmart 25-19, 25-13. Kaita McGregor led GLHS with 14 kills for the night, while Alli O'Neal had 10 aces, Jill Johnson had 36 digs, and Kelly Mariakis handed out 26 assists.
Aug 28 The Lady Trojans split a pair of matches, falling to LFO 9-25, 25-11, 25-16 before beating Calhoun 25-20, 25-15. GLHS was led by Jill Johnson with 26 digs, Kaita McGregor with eight aces and 10 kills, and Kelly Mariakis with 17 assists, five aces, and 10 digs. Kayla Pierce added 14 assists while Alli O'Neal had four aces, 13 digs, and seven kills. The JV team won its fourth straight match, beating LFO in straight sets.
Aug 26 Gordon Lee picked up its first win of the season, knocking off Ridgeland 25-20, 25-21, but lost to Heritage 17-25, 26-24, 25-18. Kaita McGregor finished the night with 16 kills and three blocks. Alli O'Neal had nine kills, five aces, and 21 digs while Kelly Mariakis added seven aces, 18 assists, and 15 digs. The JV team beat the Lady Panthers to stay undefeated.
Aug 21 The Lady Trojans lost to Southeast Whitfield 25-19, 25-22 and then fell to Ringgold in a three-set match, 25-22, 17-25, 25-17. Kaita McGregor had four kills, Alli O'Neal had 12 digs, Jill Johnson had 11 digs, and Kelly Mariakis added five assists in the first match, while Hannah Hixon led GLHS with seven kills and Sara Holder contributed 13 digs in the nightcap. The JV team improved its record to 2-0, beating the Lady Raiders in straight sets.
Aug 19 Gordon Lee dropped its season opener 25-14, 25-23 to LaFayette. Kaita McGregor had three kills, a block and an ace for the Lady Trojans. The JV team began its season by beating the Lady Ramblers.