Alcovy, Eastside and Newton each met on Tuesday for a round robin set of a best-of-three volleyball match at Alcovy High School.

Featuring the Lady Eagles and the Lady Tigers, the first match was split, forcing a decisive third game. Eastside came out strong, only to falter in the final two, ceding to the Lady Tigers. Previously, the Lady Eagles had prevailed in the first game, 25-14.

Alcovy head coach Suzanne Smith said of her team, "They came out (and) were flat. They didn't even look like they wanted to be out there....I told them that their feet were cemented to the floor and they better start moving."

The Lady Tigers responded by taking the second game, 25-11. Alcovy dominated with great network by LaChelle Hudgins and a series of aces served up by teammate Lauren Henderson.

According to Eastside head coach Angie Lewis, "I changed my lineup the second game. I think the girls were trying to play the second game like the first game and didn't focus on the game they were in."

Alcovy won the deciding game 29-27, with an Eastside net violation at game point. The game included Eastside's Sonja Lingren starting off serving up four straight points and teammate Mary Sedyame putting on a show of back-to back powerful aces. The Lady Tigers came back and put themselves in position to win, thanks to a Lauren Henderson kill and a perfectly placed overhead by Megan Watson.

During the second match, Eastside took to the court against Newton. The Lady Rams came out strong, rolling ahead by easily taking both games.

Newton captured the first game, 25-15. Eastside's Sedyame had a spike, one ace and a tremendous defensive dig. However, the effort was not enough against Newton's two-some of April Lo and Kanysha Sherels, who offensively dominated the game.

When asked about Sherels, Newton first-year head coach Shandelyn Carter said, "She's been hurt for most of the season and now she's back, not 100 percent, but she's back well enough to help us out in key areas."

Newton grabbed the second game from Eastside, 25-14. Eastside's offense, including a pair of overheads by Mary Sheets, fell short to the up front defense of the Lady Rams. Newton's Monty Lo showed off her strong serve with three aces.

According to Lewis, Eastside's loss can be attributed to its lack of communication on the court. "That's what I told them we have to work on in practice - recoveries on our blocks and our communication skills. That's what lost the game for us tonight."

Newton took the third match from Alcovy, with both games coming down to the wire.

The Lady Rams won the first game, 25-22. Newton's April Lo scored with a number of overheads and a kill despite Hudgins staying solid at the net with multiple blocks.

"They came out real strong and they did alright," said Smith, "and then they fizzled in the middle and couldn't pull it back up. So, we're still trying to get our groove."

Newton's ability to communicate and continually set the ball in great position allowed them to pull ahead of the Lady Tigers in the second game, winning 25-18.

Alcovy's Megan Watson scored two points with an overhead and a spike, and Newton's Kanysha Sherels had a kill and two aces in a row.

When asked about how well her team was talking to each other, Carter said, "A whole lot better - big improvement. They are learning to play together as a team and they get along off the court too so I think that's a big plus."

Alcovy and Newton will compete with over 40 teams from Georgia today and Saturday at Heritage.