Baylor Sweeps Signal Mountain For 32nd Straight Win

The unbeaten and nationally-ranked Baylor Lady Red Raider volleyball team just keeps rolling on down the tracks.

Facing perhaps their toughest match of the season at Signal Mountain Tuesday night with a spirited student section for both schools in attendance, the Baylor girls just kept doing what they’ve been doing all fall and that’s win, win and win.

These two teams played in the championship match of the River City Rumble two weekends ago with Baylor winning a tight match, including a nail-biting 30-28 victory in the opening set.

The Lady Eagles went home that night with the idea they can play with Baylor and that was their intent in this latest clash, but it didn’t turn out as planned for the best Class AA team anywhere around.

Baylor won the match in three straight sets by scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-9.

The Lady Red Raiders are now 32-0 and have won 78 of 79 sets they’ve played this season.

“What a fun atmosphere to play in with such a great crowd on both sides and a high quality match between two great teams,” said Baylor coach Sarah Lail after the battle on the court had ended.

“We have a lot of big matches coming up in the next two weeks,  so our goal tonight was to relax, breathe and to just have a little fun.  We play matches like this to get us ready for post-season, but passing and defense was a key for us,” she continued.

“Signal Mountain has a really good team and they’re really tough up front with their hitters and blockers, but we had a plan to work around that and it worked.  Those first two sets were close and that third one was so pivotal, but I’m just happy to leave here with another win,” Lail added.

Baylor never trailed in the first set.

A kill from Paris Buckner stretched a Baylor lead to 11-6, but a hitting error by Baylor and four straight service points from Sidney Lapinski allowed the Lady Eagles to tie the score at 11-11.

Another block from Buckner and three kills from Gabby Gray gave Baylor a 15-13 advantage and the lead slowly got bigger before four straight service points from Ally Craig gave Baylor a little breathing room at 23-15.  A kill from Craig a minute later sealed the deal in the first set for the Lady Raiders.

The Lady Eagles had the upper hand for most of the second set and had the lead at 12-11 before a kill from Gray knotted the score at 12-12.

A kill and a block from Maia Rackel gave the Lady Eagles a 15-13 lead,  but a kill from Gray, a hitting error by Signal Mountain and an ace from Sarah Sumida gave the lead back to Baylor at 16-15.

Another kill from Rackel knotted the score at 16-16 before Baylor took the lead for good on a kill from Lexie Laurendine and four straight service points from Gray.

An ace and a kill from Elizabeth Case put Baylor at set point with a 24-18 lead and it was over following a block by Craig.

While the first two sets were really close from the first point to the last, that wasn’t the case in the third as the Baylor girls smelled blood in the water and moved in for the kill.

Six straight service points from Craig gave Baylor a 7-0 lead while five straight points from Gray extended that lead to 16-4.  A kill from Buckner a short time later clinched the match for the Lady Raiders.

“That was a crazy match as the intensity level on both sides was so high,” said Craig, a talented 15-year-old sophomore who finished with seven kills and 11 digs in addition to an ace and a pair of blocks.

“We knew they had a good team, but we came in here focused and ready to play.  We were ready to finish when we got the big lead in the last set,” she added.

Jane Wilson, one of Baylor’s seniors, finished the match with four kills and a block, but it was her play at the net to offset Signal’s hitting attack that may have played as big a role as anyone in the win.

“That was an awesome match and what a great crowd,” she said, still overflowing with joy after the match ended.

“Part of my job is to close blocks and we set the defense, but it was an intense match for sure.  We have a lot of pressure to win being unbeaten and nationally ranked, so we have a huge target on our back.  But I feel like we played pretty well tonight in a hostile environment,” Wilson nodded.

Signal Mountain coach Jennifer Redman has the utmost confidence in her girls and their ability to play at the highest level.  She just wishes she could convey that faith to her girls.

“I thought we played pretty well at times, but you just can’t have lulls against a team like Baylor.  Our goal was to just go point-to-point with them and to not give them anything.  We did that for a while, but you can’t afford mental mistakes against them.

“Things got really ugly for us in that third set, but we need to know we can’t have a pity party on the court when things don’t go our way.  We did some really good things at times and we get better by playing teams like Baylor.

“I guess I’m about 95 percent pleased with the way we played.  We felt like we were good enough to play with them, but I just want these girls to think they’re as good as I do,” Redman added.

Gray finished with 11 kills and seven digs while Craig had seven kills and 11 digs.  Sumida had 34 assists and 11 digs while Lilly Turner finished with 13 digs to lead the Baylor team.

Rackel had 10 kills, seven digs and four blocks to lead the Lady Eagles while Nicole Terfloth had 13 digs and Kate Barry a dozen assists and a dozen digs.

Baylor will have Wednesday off before going to Atlanta on Thursday for a couple of matches against Woodward Academy and Blessed Trinity, the only team to take a set from Baylor this season.

Signal Mountain will travel to Dunlap on Wednesday for a big District 7-AA match with Sequatchie County before playing at East Ridge on Thursday.

HIXSON AND SALE CREEK were 3-0 winners in other matches played Tuesday with Hixson improving to 13-16 overall and 4-1 in District 6-AA with a 25-17, 25-7 and 25-15 win at Tyner.  Sale Creek is now 31-5 following a 25-16, 25-6 and 25-10 win over East Ridge.

BAYLOR STATS:

Sarah Sumida – 1 ace, 1 block, 34 assists, 11 digs

Gabby Gray – 11 kills, 7 digs

Ally Craig – 1 ace, 7 kills, 2 blocks, 11 digs

Lilly Turner – 13 digs

Jane Wilson – 4 kills, 1 block

Paris Buckner – 6 kills, 3 blocks

Lexie Laurendine – 5 kills, 1 dig

Denver Rogers – 2 aces, 8 digs

Elizabeth Case – 1 ace, 1 kill.

SIGNAL MOUNTAIN STATS:

Nicole Terfloth – 13 digs

Elaine Redman – 8 digs, 1 ace

Aubrie Johnson – 5 kills, 1 dig, 3 blocks

Kate Barry – 12 assists, 2 blocks, 12 digs

Mackenzie Lewis – 1 dig

Maia Rackel – 10 kills, 7 digs, 4 blocks

Sidney Lapinski – 6 assists, 2 digs

Olivia Powers – 4 digs, 1 block, 4 kills

Cora Hansen – 1 block

Hallie Hunt -- 2 digs.

HIXSON STATS:

Dakota Rawiszer – 1 ace, 5 kills, 5 assists, 8 digs

Sam Dove – 13 aces, 1 kill, 4 digs, 18 assists

Courtney Jones – 1 ace, 12 kills, 7 digs

Sam McKee – 4 kills, 4 digs

Abby Rector – 14 kills, 4 digs

Shelby Rector – 2 aces, 5 kills, 6 digs

Kiera Taylor – 5 kills, 5 digs

Rachel Cline – 2 aces, 4 digs

Marly Fitzpatrick – 3 digs

Sydni Byerley – 3 digs.

SALE CREEK STATS:

Madysun Steele – 7 kills, 1 dig

Abbey Burton – 5 kills, 10 digs, 4 aces, 1 block

Gracie Janow – 5 kills, 1 dig

Bailey Nelson – 1 dig, 12 assists

Morgan Weatherford – 14 digs, 1 ace

Jayda Perry – 1 dig, 8 assists

Ariana Smith – 4 kills, 9 digs, 1 ace, 2 blocks

Tayla Willis – 1 kill, 2 digs

EmiLee White – 1 kill, 2 digs, 1 ace

Sydney Gibson – 1 kill

Avery Cox – 2 digs.

(email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)