With the GHSA state volleyball playoffs kicking off with round one this week, north Fulton will be well represented with six of 13 schools qualifying for the state tournament.

Three of those six schools will be hosting first round matches including area champions — and No. 1 seeds — Blessed Trinity and Johns Creek.

The Lady Titans of BT (50-2 overall) cruised to their 5AAA title last week with wins over Cross Keys, West Hall and St. Pius X.

“The players have worked so hard this season to put our team in the best position possible, and Thursday’s area championship match was no exception,” Blessed Trinity volleyball coach Paul said. “Five of the girls played through injuries and sickness during the finals, so it was a good feeling to pull out the victory.”

Blessed Trinity, ranked No. 1 in the state among all-classifications, will be a heavy favorite to win the Class-AAA title. The Lady Titans have made two straight Final Fours and were A-AA state champions two years ago.

BT hosts North Oconee (18-14) in the first round tonight.

“As we enter the state tournament, our goals are the same as they have been all season — to continue working hard and to leave practice each day as better team than we were the day before,” Stevens said.

In Class-AAAAAA, Johns Creek (39-8 overall and ranked No. 3 in AAAAAA) won the 5AAAAAA title behind a 4-0 performance at the area tournament that featured three wins over top-10 teams. The Gladiators beat West Forsyth and No. 7 ranked Chattahoochee (23-19) on Wednesday followed by two wins over sixth-ranked South Forsyth on Saturday to claim the title.

The Gladiators will host Collins Hill in round one.

Chattahoochee rebounded from its early tournament loss to beat Alpharetta on Saturday and punch its ticket to state as 5AAAAAA’s No. 4 seed. The Cougars will travel to North Gwinnett (41-6) — the No. 4 ranked team — for round one play.

Roswell (25-18), who finished fifth in Area-4, will also be making a trip to the AAAAAA tournament. The Lady Hornets will open up at East Coweta (25-14)

In Class AAAAA Northview (36-12) — ranked No. 4 in AAAAA — narrowly missed an area title when they fell to Pope — ranked third in AAAAA — in the 7AAAAA title match. The Lady Titans will host Flowery Branch (13-22) in the opening round.

King’s Ridge (9-10) is the lone state qualifier from north Fulton in the state’s smallest classification. The Lady Tigers used a narrow three-set win over rival Mount Pisgah to punch their ticket as the No. 4 seed from 5A.

King’s Ridge will play at Hebron Christian (35-11).