by Mark Turner
White County News
With the start of the new season less than three weeks away for the White County High School softball and volleyball teams, it's time to finish off the summer preparation.
Next week, will be a bush week for both WCHS squads as the take wrap up the two month summer schedule with exhibition games.
For the Lady Warrior softball team, first year head coach Cari Barrett will get a look at her team as play a pair of home games against Gilmer on July 22 and Rabun County on July 23. Both games will start at 5:30 p.m.
“This will be the time when we see what it's going to look like,” Barrett said earlier this summer. “We've got to see who's going to be in the lineup. With this group, I think it's going to be hard with the girls we have to pick who's going to be on the field to start so I'm really excited. “Most of the girls know each other, but I'm trying to get to know them,” Barrett said. “That's a big thing for me. Not just getting to know them as team, but also on an individual level. This group of girls are really cohesive, and there aren't a lot of cliques. We have really good energy and really good chemistry, so I think it's going to be awesome.”
Those two games led into the final preseason scrimmage July 31 against Cherokee Bluff at 6 p.m. in Flowery Branch. The Lady Warriors open the regular season Aug. 5 in a home matchup against Forsyth Central.
The softball team will play five games during the first full week of the season, including the Region 6-AAA opener at Dawson County on Aug.12. The team's first region home game is Aug. 21 against Chestatee.
The WCHS volleyball team got their July work off to a good start last week at the referee training camp in Cleveland, playing six matches over three days. The Lady Warriors are coming off a great season in 2024 as the squad earned the program's second trip to the Class AAA Final Four, but have to replace a handful of starters.
“This is probably the youngest team we've had in at least three years, we had a couple of big seniors classes come through,” WCHS head coach Yarixa Oakes said last week. This team is young and talented, they have a lot of potential. A lot of them can play different positions.”
The team will ramp up the work schedule next week as they will spend three days at team camp July 21-23 at Berry College, and then compete in the South Forsyth Summer Challenge July 25-26.
The team opens the 2025 schedule Aug. 5 with a home match against Seckinger, which is coached by Laura DeLaPerriere, who was WCHS's first volleyball coach.
Just like the softball team, the Lady Warriors will play five times during the opening week of the season, playing two tri-matches following the season opener. The Lady Warriors host Habersham Central and Morgan County on Aug. 7, and then head to Blue Ridge on Aug. 7 for a tri-match with Fannin County and Dawson County.