They had a three-way volleyball match at Soddy Daisy Wednesday evening and none of the teams had a distinct advantage as all won one and all lost one.
Host Soddy Daisy rolled to an easy 25-9 win over Ooltewah in the first set before the Lady Owls rallied to win by scores of 25-21 and 25-19.
Notre Dame beat Ooltewah in two sets in the second match, winning by scores of 25-16 and 25-20.
Then in the final match of the evening, Soddy Daisy got off to another good start with a 27-25 win over Notre Dame, only to watch the Lady Fighting Irish even the score with a 25-21 victory in the second. Then with all the chips on the line, the Lady Trojans were able to pull out the 25-23 win to claim the match.
Notre Dame is now 5-5 overall while Ooltewah is now 3-5 and Soddy Daisy 2-7.
“We played like champions in the first set against Ooltewah, but we had ball control issues after that that cost us big time,” said Soddy Daisy coach Paul Brock after the final point had been scored.
“Ooltewah was able to settle down and play good volleyball, but we had a tough time serving and passing. Notre Dame has a really strong team, but our front row did a great job. It’s hard to single anyone out as they all stepped up and played well.
“We proved that we can play with almost anybody, but our inexperience often shows up in close matches. I feel like we have the talent, but it’s just a matter of learning how to finish. That’s been our biggest problem so far, but we did a good job of it tonight,” Brock nodded.
Ooltewah coach Elaine Peigen knows that her team is greatly improved from last year, but the Lady Owls still have their moments when things don’t go according to plan.
“We got off to a really slow start against Soddy Daisy, but they did everything right and took advantage of all our mistakes,” Peigen nodded after the loss to Notre Dame.
“I’m proud of how we battled back against Soddy Daisy, but we have to learn that we can’t lag against good teams. I wish we could have been a bit more competitive with Notre Dame. We’re serving a lot better, but our blocking needs some work.
“We weren’t ready when we first started, but we were able to come back and fight to a win. I just know that we’re better than last year and we’ll continue to improve,” she nodded with a smile.
Notre Dame coach Laurie McGinley liked the way her team played in the win over Ooltewah, but not so much in the loss to Soddy Daisy.
“You either win or try to learn from the mistakes in a loss, but we’re a bit tired right now as we’ve played five matches in the last four days,” she began.
“We’ve played some really good teams we we prepare for our region schedule. Right now, we’re just focused on growth and trusting the process. If we do that, the wins will take care of themselves.
“There are times when we have to make adjustments quicker, but right now we’re focused on Collegedale as that’s our first region match on Thursday,” she added.
Miyah Taylor had six kills and 21 assists to lead Ooltewah while Rayna Hullender finished the day with 22 digs. Divine Burney had 21 assists while Mikayah Taylor had 14 kills and 10 digs for the Lady Owls.
Sam Brown had 23 kills and six aces to lead Notre Dame while Sarah Dobson had 25 assists. Aniyah Brown had 17 assists. Callie McCormick finished the day with 21 digs and four aces while Wrenn Scott, Scarlett Hughes and Addie Kitchings all had three blocks.
Sophomore Leah Morgan again led the Soddy Daisy attack with 19 kills and 13 digs while Fehnly Sneed had 26 digs and four aces. Farrah Hilliard had 20 assists and three aces in addition to eight digs. Gracie Simpson had five blocks while Emma Blazek had four.
Ooltewah and Notre Dame both play again on Thursday with the Lady Owls hosting East Hamilton and the Lady Irish traveling to Collegedale.
Soddy Daisy and Ooltewah will be part of the 38th annual Choo Choo Classic that will be played at Ooltewah High School and Hunter Middle School.
Pool play will take place on Friday while the Gold bracket matches will be at Ooltewah on Saturday and the Silver matches at Hunter. Championship matches are set for approximately 2 p.m. at each school.
COMBINED INDIVIDUAL STATS
OOLTEWAH:
Rayna Hullender – 22 digs
Lily Williams – 4 kills, 2 digs, 1 ace
Divine Burney – 14 assists, 4 digs
Lula Williams – 3 kills
Miyah Taylor – 6 kills, 21 assists, 6 digs, 2 blocks
Makiyah Taylor – 14 kills, 10 digs
Jaeli Harris – 4 kills
Kaylin LeBlanc – 2 digs.
NOTRE DAME:
Aniyah Brown – 7 kills, 17 assists, 2 aces
Madden Cothron – 6 kills
Wrenn Scott – 7 kills, 3 blocks
Sarah Dobson – 25 assists, 1 ace
Sam Brown – 23 kills, 1 block, 6 aces
Gracie Amari – 3 blocks
DaLana Brown – 1 kill
Scarlett Hughes – 12 kills, 3 blocks, 3 aces
Karley Nutz – 10 digs
McKinna Wiles – 2 aces
Callie McCormick – 21 digs, 4 aces
Addie Kitchings – 2 kills, 3 blocks.
SODDY DAISY:
May Vandergriff – 4 kills, 2 digs
Aubrey Renfro – 2 assists, 7 digs, 2 aces
Reese Finnell – 1 ace, 4 digs
Fehnly Sneed – 26 digs, 4 aces
Farrah Hilliard – 20 assists, 8 digs, 3 aces
Grace Nunley – 7 kills, 7 digs, 2 blocks
Kylie Bunch – 12 digs, 2 aces
Leah Morgan – 19 kills, 13 digs, 2 aces
Gracie Simpson – 9 kills, 5 blocks
Addison Ward – 5 kills, 2 blocks
Emma Blazek – 2 kills, 4 blocks.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)