ZTL CTLR EXPERIENCED OPERROR DURING SECTOR DE-COMBINING EFFORTS DURING BUSY TFC WHILE TRAINING WAS BEING CONDUCTED.

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ZTL SECTORS 17 AND 18 WERE COMBINED AND R-SIDE TRAINING WAS IN PROGRESS. I WAS TAKING A BRIEFING TO RELIEVE THE R-SIDE/TRAINEE SO THAT THEY COULD OPEN SECTOR 18. IT WAS VERY BUSY. THE R-SIDE WAS HAVING TROUBLE BRIEFING ME DUE TO THE VOLUME. ACFT Y WAS AT 9000 FT; TRANSITIONING SECTOR 18 INTO SECTOR 17. I TOOK THE HDOF AT SECTOR 17; THINKING SECTOR 18 HAD HANDED HIM OFF. IT TURNS OUT SECTOR 38 HAD HANDED ACFT X OFF TO SECTOR 18; WHICH NOT BEING OPEN; WAS FORCED TO SECTOR 17. SECONDS LATER; SECTOR 18 WAS OPENED AND SPLIT OFF. I TOOK THE HDOF ON ACFT X FROM SECTOR 16; DSNDING TO 11000 FT; LNDG 30GA; ABOUT 40 MI AWAY. I DSNDED ACFT X TO 10000 FT; DUE TO HEAD-ON TFC AT 9000 FT; ACFT Y. I SWITCHED ACFT X TO SECTOR 18. THE TRAINEE DSNDED ACFT X TO 6000 FT; NOT SEEING THE LIMITED DATA BLOCK ON ACFT Y; WHO WAS STILL IN SECTOR 18. THIS INSTIGATED THE ERROR. IF WE HAD THE STAFFING AND TIME TO SPLIT SECTORS WHEN NEEDED; THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. IT WAS SO HECTIC AND BUSY WE MADE ASSUMPTIONS WE SHOULDN'T HAVE. IF THE SECTOR 18 HAD BEEN OPENED MOMENTS EARLIER; THE HDOF FROM SECTOR 38 WOULD NOT HAVE GONE TO SECTOR 18 INSTEAD OF SECTOR 17. AT THE TIME; I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING WHO HANDED OFF ACFT Y TO ME. I WRONGLY ASSUMED IT WAS SECTOR 18; THE ADJACENT SECTOR.