Ringgold revert to 'having fun' to outlast Franklin County rally, advancing to GHSA 2A title match

Ringgold's Kayleigh Carpenter #32 goes up for a hit against Franklin County

"They just don't need to give up," Ringgold Tigers volleyball head coach, Ashely Boren, said Saturday after her team defeated the Franklin County Lions to advance to the Georgia High School Association Class 2A state championship game, however having to go the distance, winning the best of five match, 3-2.

"They do so much better when they're having fun and the energy's there and that really made a difference in that fifth set," Boren said of the Tigers, who got out to a 2-0 set lead in the match, then found themselves on the brink of elimination after Franklin County won sets three and four to force a decisive set five.

"That really made a difference in that fifth set, we came out and we rolled with it," Boren said as she praised her players for shifting back to the style of play which includes not allowing mistakes to alter their game plan and execution. "I'm very proud of that," Boren added.

After coming up short last season when they were eliminated in the semifinals by Morgan County, Ringgold would look to capture their first state title in program history next week and as they prepare, Boren knows exactly what she would like for her players to work on.

"We had a little struggle with our serve, receive, which we do that every practice, so we'll do a lot of serve, receive and just really executing the kill," Boren said of Ringgold's preparations for the title match.