Sale Creek Advances To Class A State With Sweep

Sale Creek advanced to next week's state tournament in Murfreesboro with a tough 3-0 win over the Gordonsville Lady Tigers.

The first set was the toughest and most intense, but the Lady Panthers were able to take the early lead with the hard-fought 30-28 victory.  The second set wasn't as close as Sale Creek won by a 25-20 final while it was just a formality in the third with the hostesses winning easily, 25-9.

"I thought we got off to a slow start, but overall we played pretty well," said head coach Debbie Hill after her team had improved to 36-12.

"Gordonsville battled and those first two sets were tough, but we played with a lot of confidence in that third set as we had taken the wind out of their sails with the first two wins.  Their style of play is different from ours as they play a slower game, so we had to adjust.

"Now we have to get ready for Murfreesboro.  This is only our third trip total and second in a row.  The good news is that most of these girls were there last year and know what to expect.  If we play our game and do what we're capable of doing, we have the chance to play with anyone and i feel good about it.

"We've had a great season and a nice run here at the end, but we're not finished yet," Hill added.

Abbey Burton made her final home match a good one as she led the Lady Panthers with 19 kills and 18 digs.  Jayda Perry had 45 assists and nine digs while Avery Cox was credited with 19 digs and nine kills.

Gracie Janow had 10 kills, seven blocks and six digs while Sydney Gibson was credited with five blocks.