By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

LaGrange is hoping history repeats itself.

A year ago, LaGrange knocked off Troup in the area volleyball tournament, and it went on to qualify for the state playoffs.

On Tuesday at Chapel Hill, the two local rivals will square off in the opening round of the area tournament for the second straight year.

Those teams played a tune-up match on Thursday, and it was Troup beating LaGrange in straight sets, 25-7 and 25-16.

“This was kind of like a practice game for that,” LaGrange coach Angie Newton said. “Last year we went up there and surprised everybody, beat them and the number two team. Our we capable of it? We’re very capable of it. Anything can happen. We have the ability. We have the athleticism. They just have to make up their mind that they want it.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Troup beat Hardaway, while LaGrange lost to Hardaway.

While the record isn’t what Newton was hoping for, she’s been happy with the effort and attitude of the players.

“We’ve improved a lot this year,” Newton said. “We’ve seen a lot of improvement out of a lot of the players. A lot of great things have happened throughout the year. We’ve had great camaraderie. They’ve stayed up. They cheer each other on. They give each other high fives, and they root each other on. So, I’m very proud of them for that.”

Troup, meanwhile, is flying high into the area tournament.

Troup has won eight in a row to improve to 20-16, and it will be the number two seed for the area tournament.

Troup head coach Leigh Bailey said is proud of the way her team has kept fighting this season, even when things have gone wrong.

“I am so excited,” she said. “Whenever we have adversity, there’s another ball coming. It’s a mindset. Everybody’s going to make errors, in life, in volleyball. It’s how you come back from it. You don’t have time to wait.”