South Greene Shoots Down Sale Creek's Volleyball Title Bid

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Sale Creek came up short in its bid to improve on the school’s best-ever finish at the Class 1A state volleyball tournament.

The Lady Panthers (41-7) played a ragged loser’s bracket game against South Greene and were decisively beaten 3-0 Thursday, ending their bid to finish at least second after a program-best third-place effort in 2011.

Set scores were 25-18, 25-9, 25-20.

“South Greene is a good team with a lot of tournament experience,” Sale Creek’s veteran coach Debbie Hill after spending 15 minutes talking to her players in a hallway at the Murphy Center on the Middle Tennessee State University campus. “The downfall was inconsistency and that was hard to deal with.”

Earlier in the day Sale Creek bounced back from a tough five-set loss to Concord Christian on Wednesday with a 3-0 win against Summertown that derailed the team’s elimination for a few hours.

Set scores in that match were 26-24, 25-20, 29-27 in a hard-fought battle that had many ebbs and flows throughout.

“I thought we played more aggressively and winning that first set was huge,” Hill said following the day’s first on-court challenge.

Hill couldn’t say that after the error-prone effort against South Greene.

When the coach-players get together broke up talk already was shifting toward getting back to Murfreesboro next season for another crack at capturing their first state championship plaque.

“I think we can all take something from this experience and atmosphere that could help us next season,” junior outside hitter Abbey Burton, the granddaughter of former longtime Sale Creek coach Don Burton. “This definitely is not like small-town Sale Creek. I was a little jittery, but after the game started I settled down; I think everybody relaxed.”

The Lady Panthers stuck with the Lady Panthers and trailed 16-15. South Greene scored five straight points for a 21-15 spread. Sale Creek contributed two unforced errors in the spurt while Lindsey Cutshaw had two aces for the Lady Rebels and hard-hitting left-hander Taylor Lamb ripped a kill.

Sale Creek later pulled to within 22-18 on a net violation by South Greene, but scored the final three points to take a 1-0 lead. Brooke Davis had a set-ending kill for the Lady Rebels.

Set 2 was a blowout.

South Greene bolted to a 17-3 lead as turnover after turnover mounted up for the Lady Panthers who were making only their second appearance in the state tournament.

With the score at 20-9 South Greene scored the final five points for the win. Lamb had two kills, Mercedes Collins one and the Lady Panthers threw in two more miscues.

Sale Creek made South Greene work a little in the final set.

The Lady Panthers had a 12-11 lead, their first lead – and last – since a 4-2 edge in the first set until South Greene by scoring 10 of the next 13 points for a 21-14 cushion.

Sale Creek didn’t fold, though.

In a six-point outburst, Burton recorded four aces – her total for the match – and the Lady Panthers were threatening to extend the contest, trailing 21-20.

Unfortunately, Sale Creek failed to score again.

Lamb scored on a kill, Sale Creek sophomore Madysun Steele’s shot found the net and Collins and Morgan Williams added kills to end the Lady Panthers’ season.

“I told the girls they have to value every point, every play and every second on the court,” Hill said. “Sometimes we didn’t do that. We played with a lot of youth, a lot of juniors and sophomores, this year, but they grew up.”

In the morning match, the first set was deadlocked at 18-18, but the Lady Panthers scored seven of the final 11 points and pulled out the win. Steele had kills to record the 24^th and 25^th points for Sale Creek, which was backed by a rowdy cheering section throughout the match.

Still needing one point to grab the opening set, senior Ariana Smith got it with the team’s third straight kill.

In Set 2, Sale Creek was nursing a shaky 14-12 lead, but scored five straight points to open a 19-12 margin and appeared ready to blow the set open.

Summertown (34-17) had other ideas. The Lady Eagles rallied with five straight points and trimmed their deficit to 19-17.

Sale Creek was still up by 21-19 and bean to drop the curtain on their stubborn opponent.

Tayla Willis scored on a block.

Burton stroked a kill that caught the tape, rode the tape for about 5 feet and then dropped to the court for a winner. Burton’s kill moments later gave Sale Creek at 24-19 lead. After a Lady Panthers error kept the Lady Eagles alive at 24-20, Burton ended the set with her third straight kill and Sale Creek lead 2-0.

Trailing by 16-13 in the third set Sale Creek rallied with five straight points – Smith had an ace and two service points in the spree – and took an 18-16 lead.

Sale Creek’s lead was 22-20, but Summertown went up 24-22 and put the Lady Panthers in a bind.

Smith had a kill and dink to tie the match.

Summertown’s Megan Dinwiddie’s kill put the Lady Eagles up 25-24.

A Janow kill and one by Willis produced a 26-25 Sale Creek advantage.

A Sale Creek unforced error tied the score again. Smith’s kill gave the Lady Panthers a one-point margin. When Janow’s shot found the net, the two combatants were even at 27-all.

Smith’s last two kills of the match sealed the win.

“This feels so great just to know we’ll keep going,” Smith said. “After our loss to Concord Christian we knew we had to step up and play harder, and we did.”

Sale Creek Stats vs. South Greene

Bailey Nelson – 6 digs, 6 assists, 1 ace

Ariana Smith – 4 kills, 16 digs, 2 blocks

Gracie Janow – 2 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks

Tayla Willis – 2 digs, 1 assist, 2 blocks

Abbey Burton – 5 kills, 11 digs, 1 assist, 4 aces

Morgan Weatherford – 10 digs

Madysun Steele – 1 kill, 5 blocks

Sydney Gibson – 1 assist, 2 blocks

Avery Cox – 4 digs

Jayda Perry – 5, digs, 5 assists

Sale Creek Stats vs. Summertown

Bailey Nelson – 9 digs, 22 assists, 2 aces

Ariana Smith – 9 kills, 19 digs, 6 aces, 1 block

Gracie Janow – 11 kills, 4 digs, 6 blocks

Tayla Willis – 2 digs, 6 blocks

Abbey Burton – 11 kills, 13 digs, 1 ace, 1 block

Morgan Weatherford – 36 digs, 1 assist

Madysun Steele – 5 kills, 4 digs, 10 blocks

Sydney Gibson – 2 digs, 6 blocks

Avery Cox – 10 digs, 1 ace

Jayda Perry – 7 digs, 16 assists

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)