The Region 8B-AAA fourth-seeded Lady Knights knocked off 8A-AAA top seed North Hall in a thrilling 3-2 match at the Bobby Bailey Tennis Center to make it a clean sweep for the 8B subregion as they filled the final slot for Friday's semifinals.
Johnson is joined by fellow subregion foes Oconee County, Lanier, and Gainesville, who all took easy 3-0 wins in their quarterfinal matchups. Johnson and Gainesville will play in one semifinal and Oconee County and Lanier in the other beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at Bobby Bailey.
"Our subregion is very tough so we felt we had a chance," Johnson coach Tammy Green said. "North Hall is always tough and it went down to the final match. This was a huge win for us because we have a young team overall. They have really grown during the season."
The match came down to No. 1 doubles with Johnson's Karina Rivera and Ashley Hogan taking a 7-6, 7-6 win over North Hall's Natalie Oxley and Kelsy McCray. Rivera and Hogan trailed 4-3 in the second set but rallied to send it to a tiebreaker.
Gainesville, meanwhile, did not drop a set rolling over Lumpkin County in three quick matches.
"We won but I really didn't think we played as well as we could," Gainesville coach Kellie Stevens said. "We're glad to make it to the state tournament but our goal is to win the region."
Gainesville won both matches against Johnson in tight 3-2 contests during the regular season and Green said the key for her team to get past the Lady Elephants will be finding a doubles win. Johnson was 0-6 against Oconee, Gainesville, and Lanier this season.
"They are all tough but we've gotten better. Our Nos. 1 and 2 singles won both times (against Gainesville) so we need to find a third win somewhere," Green said. "If our No. 1 doubles plays with the passion and desire they had today, who knows."
Oconee County, the top seed from 8B, whipped West Hall to get into the quarterfinals while Lanier blanked Franklin County.
In the first round matches played in the morning, West Hall knocked off Stephens County 3-2 winning three matches in come-from-behind fashion. Lanier beat White County 3-0, Johnson took out Chestatee 3-1, and Lumpkin County whipped Walnut Grove 3-0.
Johnson's Maggie Turner volleys in the Lady Knights' win over North Hall on Thursday in Flowery Branch.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/4/247726