Marist School was defeated by Walton High School, the number one–ranked team for Class AAAAA, in four games (29-27, 21-25, 19-25, 19-25) Sept. 23. Marist (18-7) travels to St. Pius X High School, Sept. 30, for the second annual “Claws for a Cause” match pairing varsity, junior varsity and seventh- and eighth-grade teams against one another. All the proceeds will benefit The Freedom Alliance, an educational and charitable organization that sponsors numerous program activities aimed at supporting and honoring military service members and their families.

In the first of two matches Sept. 23, Our Lady of Mercy High School, Fayetteville, defeated Starr’s Mill High School 2-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-16) for the first time in the history of Mercy’s volleyball program. Mercy senior outside hitter Brittany Smith is one of the state leaders in kills for Class AA/A with 258. Her teammates, junior Olivia Schmitz and senior Amanda Miles, have 224 and 179 kills, respectively. Senior Nicole Gagnier leads the team with126 aces and 380 assists. Miles also leads the team in blocks with 51, and sophomore libero Jenny Bui leads the team in digs with 406. In the second game Mercy lost to Sandy Creek High School 2-0 (25-16, 25-15). Mercy (26-11) takes on East Coweta High School and Sandy Creek, Thursday, Sept. 30.

Roswell’s Blessed Trinity High School lost to Class AAA’s Woodward Academy 2-1 (20-25, 25-12, 25-22), but they remain the number one–ranked team in Class AA/A with an overall record of 41-5. Senior Ali McAlvany leads the team with 281 kills and 79 aces. McAlvany was recently honored as the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce Student Athlete of the Month for September. Senior McKenna Smith leads the team with nearly 60 blocks, while seniors Meghan Morillo and Megan Makuck lead the team with 513 assists and 372 digs, respectively. Blessed Trinity is hosting its third annual Serve for the Cure Invitational Volleyball Tournament Oct. 1-2. All proceeds from the tournament go to fund breast cancer research through the American Cancer Society.