The universal coin flip did allow the Blue Devils to host the Class AAAAAA state quarterfinal despite Alpharetta entering on a 30-match winning streak, but the Raiders proved to be too much. Alpharetta swept the match 25-19, 25-13, 25-16 to advance to a semifinal matchup against Archer in its quest for a third consecutive state title.
“Their size is outstanding,” Norcross head coach Jeff Cerneka said about Alpharetta. “They come at you in waves offensively. You can’t just stop one person, you can’t stop two people, they just come at you in waves.”
Alpharetta (37-1) set the pace early with seven of the first 10 points, and steadily grew its lead throughout the first set with a mix of strong net play and consistent serving. The lead ballooned as high as 10 points late, although the Blue Devils battled back. After trailing 23-13, Norcross (31-14) won six of the next seven points to force an Alpharetta timeout, but a spike attempt that sailed out of bounds ended the set at 25-19 Raiders.
“You’ve got to play really well to beat them,” Cerneka said. “Or just to stay in the game, actually. Hats off to them because they’ve got a great team and they’re well-coached."
The positive momentum from the end of the first set did carry over to start the second set for the Blue Devils’ best stretch of play. The teams traded blows through the first 18 points at 9-9, but Alpharetta took over from there. A 6-2 run forced one Cerneka timeout, and then another four consecutive points led to another quick one as the visitors asserted control. The run ballooned all the way out to 13-2, and the Raiders clinched the set on a drop shot from Alabama commit Audrey Simpson.
“I’m proud of my girls,” Cerneka said. “I don’t think anybody expected us to make it back to the Elite Eight and have the season we did, so I’m proud of my kids, too. I’m proud of how hard they worked from beginning to end. Nobody expected us to be this good, and we were really good. We had a great season.”
An exchange of early 5-0 runs in the third set left it in a similar position as the second with an 8-8 tie, the latter spurt coming from Norcross to force an Alpharetta timeout. But the set followed the same script as the previous one, as the Raiders stormed out of the timeout with eight consecutive points to all but end the match. The remainder of the set played out as a stalemate with Alpharetta hanging onto its eight-point lead, eventually clinching the 25-16 win on a match-ending Norcross service error.
“My seniors last year set the foundation for this group,” Cerneka said. “My seniors this year are setting the foundation for the next group, and they pay it forward very well. I’m excited. We had five freshmen and sophomores out there, and we have a bunch of really good players returning. I fully expect us to be right back here next year.”
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