The winning continues for the Sale Creek Lady Panther volleyball team.
Sale Creek lost 3-0 at Signal Mountain in its first match of the season and they lost to Pope in a big Georgia tournament shortly afterward, but the Lady Panthers have now won 31 matches in a row and on Monday, made up for that loss to the Lady Eagles with a 3-1 victory before a spirited crowd at McEwen Gym on their own Don Burton Court.
It was another great match featuring two of the best high school teams in Hamilton County, but it was the Lady Panthers who went home with smiles on their faces after winning the big non-district match.
Sale Creek won the first two sets by scores of 25-23 and 25-21 before the Lady Eagles won the third by a 25-18 final. The Lady Panthers simply refused to be denied as they won the fourth set and the match by a 25-21 final.
It’s been an amazing fall for Sale Creek coach Erin Briner, who just happens to be nine-months pregnant and ready to deliver her second child any time. It will be a miracle if she makes it to the end of the season, but she has her mother Debbie Hill and her sister Shelby Elliott ready to step in when that magical time comes.
Despite being somewhat uncomfortable with her current situation, she couldn’t be any happier with the way her team has performed in recent weeks.
“That was fun,” Briner said with a smile on her face shortly after the last point had been scored.
“We lost 3-0 to them at their place in our first match, so today was a nice win for us. We know that we can’t afford to give up a long run of points to them and we did it in both of the first two sets, but I trust their ability as we just had to work through it.
“Signal Mountain has some really strong hitters, so blocking was a big deal for us today. We’ve been working on that and it worked, but we also knew we had to be good in our serve receive. When we’re able to do well there, we’re able to get kills.
“Our number one focus today was blocking and limiting our unforced errors. I thought we did a nice job with both. All we care about is winning a state title. We know we have to be aggressive and under control, but this group has plenty of potential for sure,” she nodded.
Unforced errors may have been Signal Mountain’s downfall as they dropped to 18-7 following Monday’s loss.
“We just can’t seem to be consistent,” said Signal Mountain coach Jennifer Redman shortly after it ended.
“We had some nice long rallies, but it seems like we lost 90 percent of them. You have to play well the entire time against a great team like Sale Creek. We were hoping to force them to make the mistakes, but we were the ones making most of them.
“I’m happy with how we were able to battle back and win that third set, but I’m not sure what the problem is right now. All I know is that post-season begins next week and we need to get this stuff fixed in a hurry,” she added.
An unforced error by Sale Creek and five straight service points by Emily Redman allowed Signal Mountain to build a quick 6-0 lead. The Lady Eagles led most of the way before Sale Creek finally knotted the score at 19-19.
It was tied again at 20 and 21 before the Lady Eagles took a 23-21 lead, causing Briner to call her second timeout.
Back-to-back kills from Ava Higgins knotted the score at 23-23 before a Signal hitting error gave the lead to the Lady Panthers. Kiley Blaylock then recorded the first of her three aces to put the Lady Panthers up 1-0.
An ace from Enslee Norwood gave Sale Creek a 4-3 lead at the start of the second set. A kill from Addy Jones tied the score before seven straight service points from Carlee Lowry put the Lady Eagles up 11-4.
Three straight kills from McKenzie Parks allowed Sale Creek to tie the score at 12-12 and it was a battle for every point after that, the score being tied at 20-20 for the last time before the Lady Panthers took a 2-0 lead by scoring five of the last six points.
Sale Creek led twice early in the third set before four straight points from Amelia Bustamante put the Lady Eagles up 6-2. Back-to-back aces from Dillia Lowry put Signal up 10-9 and they never trailed again, five straight service points from Redman extending an 18-16 lead to 23-16.
A kill from Carlee Lowry a minute later gave Signal the win, but the celebration didn’t last long as Sale Creek came right back to win the fourth set and the match.
Signal had the early lead for the fourth straight set, but once again, the Lady Panthers refused to get rattled and slowly but surely got back in it. An ace from Norwood knotted the score at 20-20 before Sale Creek ended it by scoring five of the final six points.
Ava Higgins had 13 kills in addition to three digs and two blocks to lead the Lady Panthers while younger sister Karma was also outstanding with 35 assists, 14 digs, seven kills and a block.
Norwood chipped in with 11 kills, eight digs and two aces while Parks had seven kills, four digs and two blocks.
Carlee Lowry had 14 kills and a dozen digs to lead the Lady Eagles while Redman finished with 20 digs and eight kills. Becca Rogers had a good match with 18 digs, six kills and four blocks while Bustamante ended the day with 17 digs.
Elle Ramsey had 22 assists while Dillia Lowry had 11 kills.
Sale Creek will host Bledsoe County in its next match on Tuesday before hosting Soddy Daisy on Thursday. They will be a heavy favorite to win the District 5-A tournament again, starting at Marion County on Monday.
Signal Mountain plays its final regular-season matches on Thursday when they travel to Ooltewah for a three-way meet with the Lady Owls and Coahulla Creek. The Lady Eagles then host the District 5-AA tournament that starts on Monday.
SIGNAL MOUNTAIN STATS:
Emily Redman – 20 digs, 8 kills
Carlee Lowry – 14 kills, 12 digs
Dillia Lowry – 11 kills
Amelia Bustamante – 17 digs
Becca Rogers – 18 digs, 6 kills, 4 blocks
Elle Ramsey – 22 assists.
SALE CREEK STATS:
Eisa Eilertson – 5 kills, 3 blocks
Kiley Blaylock – 3 aces, 4 digs
Karma Higgins – 7 kills, 1 block, 35 assists, 14 digs
Enslee Norwood – 11 kills, 8 digs, 2 aces
McKenzie Parks – 7 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks
Ava Higgins – 13 kills, 2 blocks, 3 digs.
Hailee Blaylock – 2 kills.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)