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TSSAA reclassification


BruinBabe
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How will 3 wilco teams get of out district?  Are they changing the tournament to be more like basketball where 4 teams make it?

That's the problem, there won't be three Wilco teams making it out of district. Just two like the past. Based on returning talent, either Page or Ravenwood is going to be on the outside looking in even though they both will be two of the top 16 teams in the state, if not top 8. Kinda reminds me of a half decade or so ago when Centennial was easily one of the top teams in the state but Brentwood and Ravenwood had the district locked down.

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I agree completely.  When Ravenwood/Indy was so good Brentwood didn't get out of the district a couple of years in a row.  They were def a top 4-5 team.    That didn't even include Centennial, who was also good.   If this was basketball, the top 4 move forward.  Now, I totally don't agree with that system, but why not be consistent.  I have a hard time with a team that can lose in the district and the region and still be a state champion.  But let's be honest, the team that finishes 3rd-4th in the district probably isn't going to win a championship.  

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I disagree. Teams get hot and peak at different times. You may have a player out in a competitive district game that drops you a seed. You may have a rival that really plays out of their mind to upset you. Volleyball isn't football. We play a lot of games, and we are a tournament sport. Sometimes it's just not your night, or emotion gets in the way. Brentwood should not lose a game on paper, but they will drop some matches next year, but come the tourney they will be locked in,

 

What about the other classifications?

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if you look back at the last 20 years of AAA champions coming out of 11 AAA.  Have they ever been the 2 seed of the district?    The one time it might have happened was Indy's championship when they beat Bwood in the finals.  All of Ravenwoods and prob all of Bwoods championships came as the district champion.    But I get what you are saying.  I am convinced that most years 3 of the 4 final four teams would have came out of 11 AAA.     It seems whatever team wins 11 AAA is completely dominant and the 2,3 seeds are fairly close.  If we could ever get Memphis AAA healthy again, it would help our sport so much.  Germantown used to be so good. 

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I disagree. Teams get hot and peak at different times. You may have a player out in a competitive district game that drops you a seed. You may have a rival that really plays out of their mind to upset you. Volleyball isn't football. We play a lot of games, and we are a tournament sport. Sometimes it's just not your night, or emotion gets in the way. Brentwood should not lose a game on paper, but they will drop some matches next year, but come the tourney they will be locked in,

 

What about the other classifications?

Just like Ravenwood last year. You're making my point despite thinking you're disagreeing. Yes, the regular season is for upsets and off nights. But come district tourney time, the best teams are locked in as you say. A look at returning Wilco talent shows there are three teams at the front of the pack. The others are strong in areas, but lack critical pieces to do anything other than maybe pull a surprise once or twice in the regular season. Injuries and coaching can always play a factor of course. But compared to what the rest of the state has to offer at the AAA level, one of those three teams will be getting hosed. Farragut's district is the only that might have the same issue. (I expect Hardin Valley to make a lot of noise this year) AAA volleyball in Chattanooga and the Tri Cities seem to be in a huge rut. And Memphis is a mess. The private schools have taken most of the top talent. Houston and Bartlett will probably make it back to state. But they will also probably be early exits for the second year in a row. 

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Here is my thought, as a Ryan grad and Sister of a former Brentwood player and current club coach. There are only two competitive areas for volleyball in the state. Here, and Knoxville. I am close with the K2 coaches and Knoxville volleyball is hot. For years it was Anderson County and sometimes Farragut and not much else. Farragut is now a legit power. Harden Valley, Maryville, Bearden, Webb, CAK and Catholic are now strong.

 

Farragut is still behind Brentwood, but not by much. Webb is as strong as any private. Anderson County back in AA will be back in the state finals and it wouldn't surprise me if they play Catholic unless the TSSAA makes Catholic move to private.

 

The finals should be

 

Wood vs Farragut

AC vs Catholic

Webb vs Baylor

And I know zero about single A.

 

Here in Wilco Knoxville has caught up and some say maybe passed us. The Tri Cities and Chattanooga are dead except for Baylor. This is good. Ravenwood, Indy had great years but you can't say they have great programs, The Gull and Cent have never been that competitive at the top level of AAA. Page is a lot like Anderson County, dominant in AA but will struggle in AAA against the top teams.

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Here is what I am thinking after having watched every state title match and almost all the top teams in all classes this past season....combined with the K2 and Alliance rosters for this travel season.

 

Knoxville was better than Nashville and Memphis last year...overall. But the senior class in Knoxville was much more talented than their junior class. This is reflected in the K2 teams. Most if not all the really talented juniors are playing on one of the two 18s teams. Essentially a 181a and 181b. But there are only seven of them. Their sole 17 team seems to be more developmental. The K2 161s are loaded. Of those juniors/ rising seniors playing in the 18s, two are Webb girls, two Hardin Valley, one Heritage, one AC, and one Berean Christian. The 161s have three Farragut girls and a smattering of players spread out across a lot of schools. I didn't look at the 15s but I am sure they are talented too like the 16s. Point being, there isn't going to be as much senior talent next year as in the past. The school that looks to take the biggest hit is Farragut followed by Maryville. Catholic is in trouble regardless of where they have to play. Cieslek and Gardner were the entire team. They're gone.

 

Memphis is not completely dead. Briarcrest and St.Georges will be forces next year. I don't know much about their club scene except that Metro and the Memphis Juniors seem to split the talent. Houston does have some players but outside of that the public schools are DOA come post season.

 

Nashville has a very strong group of high school juniors. The rising senior class is talented and tall but doesn't have the depth of the junior or sophomore class for that matter. In terms of club, what is interesting is that Alliance has a 6' plus setter on each of their ones teams from 15s thru 18s. The talent is spread out among the Wilco schools but some of the neighboring counties are getting girls on top teams. Not just Siegal girls either. Brentwood is well represented of course. So is Ravenwood. And so is Page.

 

Here's how I see next season going based on the returning talent:

 

AAA: Brentwood over Hardin Valley

  -keep an eye on Heritage

AA: Signal Mountain over Hume Fogg

  - keep an eye on Camden Central

A: South Greene over everyone else

 

D2AA: Briarcrest over Brentwood Academy

   keep an eye on Baylor. But losing GG is huge

D2A: Webb over St. George's

Edited by SummaryJudgment
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if you look back at the last 20 years of AAA champions coming out of 11 AAA.  Have they ever been the 2 seed of the district?    The one time it might have happened was Indy's championship when they beat Bwood in the finals.  All of Ravenwoods and prob all of Bwoods championships came as the district champion.    But I get what you are saying.  I am convinced that most years 3 of the 4 final four teams would have came out of 11 AAA.     It seems whatever team wins 11 AAA is completely dominant and the 2,3 seeds are fairly close.  If we could ever get Memphis AAA healthy again, it would help our sport so much.  Germantown used to be so good. 

I missed this great post. I think you're right. The state champ from AAA has almost exclusively been the district champ. It's crazy looking back. Since 2008 the only teams to even play for a AAA state title have been the Woods, Indy, DB, and Farragut.

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I am tickled to be closer to TN South Carolina, and to be back in the club scene.

 

I loved the club assessment above. Somebody did their homework!

 

One of my best friends is an AC coach. They thought they would be back at state last year but injuries killed them, they lost their Middle, the Junior on the K2 referenced above, their L, and their Setter to injuries and Farragut, who was simply better, beat them in the Region. He agrees that the Knoxville senior class was strong. AC had no seniors, and even with the injuries beat Maryville, Heritage, Harden Valley, Berean, CAK, Hume Fogg etc?

 

They are LOADED coming back and pumped about double AA. But here is why they are stoked. AC has struggled to get girls into club, geographically and financially it is hard. Two years ago they decided to form ACE for their elementary and middle school teams, and to allow the high school girls to play who don't play in the bigger club, last year the 13s played 7 tourneys and did not lose a match, winning all seven, including two matches against teams ranked in the top 10. They are coached by an ex college coach. The 12s won 5 tournaments and finished. 3rd in the Atlanta qualifier beating a ranked team. These girls play on apthe Norris Middle Schoo, team coached by Jeff Harshbarger, former great coach, and they won the Middle School sectional which is the state tournament for middle school this year and favored to win next year.

 

The 12 and under team they started this year has over 40 girls, most are daughters of alumni, coached by another ex college coach and AC alumni. I say this because AC understands that to get back to being competitive at the state level they had to develope a strong club team with 100 percent participation and start at elementary school. This will be its third year, it has almost 80 participnts, and all are in the AC feeder system, the Director they hired was a former state tournament MVP and alumni who was a club director in Colorado. The coaches all have college coaching experience, and strong ties to AC. They have put in former coaches at the middle schools and now have open enrollment where players can transfer in, this years freshman class will be the first to have gone thru ACE. With open enrollment two 6 foot incoming freshman will join them.

 

The club is being financially backed by AC supports. For 7-9 tournaments, two uniforms, three days of practice a week, two team one individual skill, and with the coaches paid the same as K2 the cost is less than six hundred dollars for middle school less than 500 for elem total. What is the cost for K2 or Alliance?

 

AC knew they had to get competitive in club to stay competitive in high school. I still say they have the top high school staff in the state, now that they have the club staffed and running they have the financial backing and are building a club facility on the AC/Knox county line to attract the North Knoxville players.

 

I think they will be in the state finals this year in AA and now that the club and Middle school programs are set for many more years to come!

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No, that is the total cost. They play Dec-May. They practice twice a week as a team and once a week on position. It includes two uniforms and knee pads, no shoes. The coaches all have college or high school coaching experience. The little ones only play 5 tourneys, the 13's and 14's play 7.

 

The difference is the club is not being run to make any profit, it is done solely to get the girls to play better. They also don't go farther away than Atlanta. These families don't have the income to pay the cost of a K2 and it is over an hour drive to practice at K2.

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