MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Once Ooltewah lost to Cookeville in the Region 3-AAA volleyball tournament title match on Tuesday, the path to a third straight state tournament was strewn with a massive pothole
Siegel High School.
The nationally ranked Stars – they're No. 2 in Tennessee – manhandled the Lady Owls 3-1 in a Class AAA sectional and ended their season at 48-9. The 48 wins rank as the third-best total in coach Elaine Peigen’s tenure, trailing only 49 in 2007 and 52 in 2002.
Thursday’s set scores were 17-25, 25-23, 13-25 and 17-25.
“We came up short tonight,” Ooltewah's Peigen said. “We had a great season and got beat by a very good team. We are very proud of our entire team and especially our seniors.”
The loss prevented the Lady Owls from reaching their ninth state tournament, with seven of their eight appearances coming since 1999. Ooltewah reached the final four six times.
Siegel, which avenged a five-set loss to Ooltewah in the 2012 sectional, advanced to the state tournament in Murfreesboro. Play begins on Wednesday.
Ooltewah had a 14-10 lead over Cookeville in the fifth set on Tuesday, but the Lady Cavaliers rallied for a 16-14 win. The loss matched the Lady Owls with the Lady Stars on their home court, truly a tough assignment.
STATISTICS
Ooltewah
Summer Williams – 9 digs, 2 aces
Courtlyn Ison – 8 kills, 16 digs, 4 blocks
Hanna Matthews – 2 kills, 7 digs, 2 aces, 22 assists, 3 blocks
Alex Biro – 8 kills, 1 block
Josie Cain – 12 digs, 3 aces, 4 assists
Allie Jones – 4 kills, 1 dig
Kailin Higgins – 6 digs
Hannah Henderson – 5 kills, 2 digs, 1 block
Alexis Godsey – 3 digs, 2 aces
Sidney Killingsworth – 2 kills, 3.5 blocks
(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)