Coaches question using Siegel for Class AAA volleyball site
MURFREESBORO – Siegel High will host the entire TSSAA Class AAA state volleyball tournament the next three days. The school is also one of the teams competing in it.
That combination has not sat well with other coaches with teams competing in the Class AAA state tournament this week.
"They had an option to use Stewarts Creek (High School)," said Brentwood coach Barbara Campbell, whose program will participate this week in the Class AAA tournament. "I don't know why they didn't use that option.
"If they had to revert to three high schools in Murfreesboro, I don't understand why having the AAA at Stewarts Creek wasn't used because they are one of the teams not in it. We started with phone calls about this two months ago. We were pretty much shut down and told, 'How do we know they will be in?'
"But Siegel has a really good team."
Siegel enters the tournament with just two losses — both to Brentwood. The Lady Stars handed Brentwood its lone loss of the season in the first week of the season at Siegel High.
The TSSAA is using Siegel High (Class AAA), Stewarts Creek High (Class AA), Blackman High (Class A) and Siegel Middle (Division II-A and Division II-AA) this year to hold the first two days of the state tournament.
All of Friday's championships are scheduled to be at Siegel High.
The move was in made in part because of the renovation at MTSU's Murphy Center, which is near completion.
TSSAA executive director Bernard Childress said the high school association has received a large amount of negative feedback from parents of participants, coaches as well as a couple athletic directors unhappy with the decision to name Siegel High the Class AAA site.
Childress said setting locations for the tournament isn't an easy process. It's something the association has worked on for the past couple months with MTSU's Murphy Center not being available.
At this point with the negative feedback Childress has received, he isn't sure if any move would appease some.
"It is easy to complain when you are not the one organizing the event," Childress said. "When you make it about you, and not the student athletes competing. ... Student athletes just want to have fun and compete.
"Yeah, we've had some complaints. We've had some that have made it a negative, and that keep complaining. I'm not sure at this point if they would be pleased if it was held at Madison Square Garden. That's where it's gotten too.
"This is the decision that has been made."
The Daily News Journal spoke with or left emails seeking comment with all eight coaches from schools particiapating in the Class AAA state tournament. Four of the schools did not respond or chose not to comment.
Not uncommon to use school sites
This isn't the first time teams have been able to play on their home court. During Spring Fling, Oakland and Siegel are hosts for the Class AAA state baseball tournament. Oakland played on its home field in 2008 when the Patriots reached the tournament.
Siegel hosts the early rounds of the tournaments yearly and also hosted the 2008 finals when the TSSAA chose not to use Murphy Center.
Brentwood hosted the soccer state tournament in the past, TSSAA assistant director Matthew Gillespie said. Montgomery Bell Academy has been used in the state track and field.
And Chattanooga Christian and Girls Preparatory School in Chattanooga have been sites for the girls soccer state tournament in past years with their home teams competing there.
And Siegel has played on its home floor in volleyball in past state tournaments.
Still, coaches believe that allowing a team to play on their homecourt sets a bad precedent.
"I think it's a big homefield advantage," said Ravenwood coach Tracey Berry, whose team opens with Siegel at 12:30 p.m. today. "We don't have pep buses. And it costs $8 to get in with a $5 parking fee.
"I definitely think there will be a bigger crowd for them. My hope is when we get there we have locker room space for us to go to because Siegel will. And I hope we have a warm up space for us."
Trina Melton of the TSSAA said two locker rooms will be used, including Siegel's regular locker room for teams competing. The Lady Stars will use an office in the school as their locker room. Melton said no school is allowed to use an auxiliary gym to warm up due to physical education classes that are in session.
Childress wondered how much of a homecourt advantage Siegel has in the tournament.
"All students can just pay and come in the gym," Childress said. "But anyone has an option to bring their kids to the event."
Siegel first-year coach Shawn Robinson said the controversy surrounding the site location has put his program in a bad spot. It wasn't the volleyball program's decision to host the tournament.
"I feel bad for the girls and the team," Robinson said. "They are taking a lot of flack and heat. Ultimately, this was not our decision. We've talked about this a lot and need to just set it aside.
"We've got a great fan base with the Siegel Nation that travels well no matter where we've played. Whether it be Blackman or Stewarts Creek, we would have a large crowd."
Blackman coach Rhonda Ross has played Siegel four times this season. She's seen firsthand how talented the Lady Stars are on the court. Ross believes moving the tournament would have been better for the Siegel program.
"I don't think it's completely fair to all be at one site, especially with me also having to host and they are hosting," said Ross, whose team qualified for its first state tournament since 2003. "But I don't hold it against the Siegel parents, or coach by any means. I think they could have handled it better.
"I think Siegel has a great team. I just would like to see them win at another site so it wouldn't be looked at as a homecourt advantage."
Contact Tom Kreager at 615-278-5168 or tkreager@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kreager.