K2ruth

OK, before Orcat gets on here and slams me, Anderson County dominated Catholic last night. 25-10; 25-16; 25-9 and it wasn't that close. The setter and 1 of their senior hitters did not play because of injury and Catholic couldn't keep AC off of them. Even though they start 4 sophs they are so big and athletic that Catholic couldn't exploit their youth. My hats are off to AC. They were focused and aggressive the whole match. With their youth and the quality of their coaching they will only get better all season. Catholic and Bearden will dominate their district but it won't matter. Karns and Anderson County are 2 levels above every other team in the region. Oak Ridge will not take a game off of either school. As previously reported AC had a rough opening week with the fatal car wreck and the injuries to 2 of their starters. A healthy AC with 6 weeks to improve before the tournament will give Karns all they want in October. Orcat, you can enjoy the Regional Tournament WATCHING Karns, AC, Bearden and Catholic play for a title. And thats the K2ruth

Oak Ridge and Farragut are end of the road teams! I expected Oak Ridge to fall, Farragut has been a bit of a surprise. I agree with the above posts, it is much harder coaching a competitive high school program. Coach Foster was simply not prepared this season. Neither was the Farragut coach. It is sad to see two of the top programs disappear so quickly. It shows what a difference a strong coach makes. As far as Catholic, they have to be the best surprise of the season. They are playing as well as anyone. Maybe it is COACHING! I think Catholic beats AC tonight. Catholic is playing big, and AC is young!

Good post Jumper! Karns is the team to beat this season. Tomorrow AC and Catholic play at Catholic. I think this is an important early match for both teams. Catholic and Bearden are playing the best in their district. Now that I have seen them, and Farragut and Maryville play I think Bearden and Catholic will win the district pretty easily. Likewise I see Karns and AC winning their district. Tomorrow night will let us know how the 2 districts will stack up against each other.

No real bias too speak of, other than the acknowledged connect with Catholic High School, just the facts. Since we have been in TN Germantown has not been a team that we have heard much about. Looking at the internet it appears that their success was some time ago. Have never met Jinx (cool name though) but don't doubt that she is a solid coach. Private school titles don't carry the same weight. How many privates sompete in Ryan's division? Less than 12? East of Chattanooga there is only 1 private school, Webb. 6 make the tournament. I have worked with the Ryan player that you refer and she is fantastic. Great attitude. My feeling is that she got her skills from club. Am I wrong? Volleyball has changed alot over the last few years.

I should have given an earlier update! I saw CAK and Farragut the other night and they had Farragut beat. I still think Bearden is the class of the district. I didn't report on this but it will explain why AC was flat against Maryville. When I saw that they had lost I spoke to a couple of the parents and found out that there was a horrific accident that day involving 3 of the girls classmates which resulted in multiple serious injuries and a fatality. In a small community like AC where everyone knows everyone it had a devestating effect on the girls. Grief counselors were brought to the school and this was going on up till the match started. The parents knew these boys well. The fatality involved a close friend of one of the coaches family. Don't read anything into it. Last night AC handled CAK easily and will play Catholic on T which will be a good test. It is Karns and AC as the best, looks like Bearden, Maryville and Catholic next.

I agree with PH and BB on this topic, although "1 Hit Wonders" sounds a little harsh. When we got to TN we talked to the UT coaches, and other college coaches, about TN high school volleyball. The general agreement was that Nashville area volleyball was totally supported by 2 strong clubs. The successful high school programs were the ones that embraced club, and encouraged their players to participate in club. Brentwood embraced club early, and essentially let the club run the program, yet still had strong traditions and school pride. Coach Berry was generally considered to be the best Middle TN coach, Coach Brock and the Anderson County coaches were tops in East Tenn, and nobody really looked west of Nashville. The best "programs" is a little deceiving. Brentwood is obviously the winningest program, but are they the "best." I would look at how many all-state players and college players they produce; what is their overall record; etc. It is more than winning titles, but for argument sake I would put them at the top. Father Ryan is a private school and doesn't really have to compete against the powerhouse public programs to win anything, and they can't really be in the discussion with the other power teams in Nashville. I would not put them in the top 5 of the middle school programs. Nashville has 3 POWER programs right now: 1)Brentwood 2)Independance; 3)siegel that are as well run as any in the south. Page and Ravenwood are really strong volleyball programs. Father Ryan and GPS are the top privates, with GPS having the edge because of coaching. Nashville has a huge advantage because of the strength of the clubs. East TN doesn't have the depth. AC can compete state wide, and DB has a strong group, but everybody else lacks consitency, and lag behind middle tennessee. I think that will change. I agree that GB has an opportunity to get in the mix if they can build on those 2 titles. I was at the 2007 state tournament. GB and AC were the best 2 teams in the state that season by far. They played each other in the finals at the same time as Brentwood and Ooltewah. Gps and Father Ryan were the 2 privates. GB and AC were a level above the other 4 finals teams, and GB was better than AC. Not just the 2 Arnold sisters, but the GB team. They had a great setter, a big middle and a terrific Libero. They were well coached, with great fan support. That was not a 1 hit wonder, but a great team! If they buy into club 10 years from now they may be talked about like these other schools. They took a great first step.

I have seen most of the area teams as they toon up for this season which starts Monday. Last night I watched Bearden and Anderson County. I think Bearden will win their district. Catholic is struggling, Farragut has alot of questions, and Bearden has some size. The Karns middles get a lot of well earned press, but the Bearden Middle is better. She made a huge improvement in club this season. She is more athletic, and a better college prospect than the Karns middles (both of whom will play small college ball) and a great person. I was stunned at how much bigger AC seemed than last year. They wore Bearden out down the stretch. They make some needless errors, but they are the most talented team in the area. Karns will be better early, but I don't see them improving alot over the year. AC will be fantastic with a season to come together. Maryville will be a question. They have the talent, but not the intensity. Oak Ridge will not be in the mix. Right now the top 4 are AC, Karns, Bearden and Farragut in that order.

Bigfoot, with all of the transfers does anybody at Karns worry about the TSSAA? Is the Powell player that is being talked about the daughter of a Phoenix Rising coach? Is PR being used to recruit players to Karns? If so, I would think twice about this club. I had heard that the Karns coach wanted to replace the Libero, the setter and the OH. It sounds like the Libero and OH are out, is the other transfer a setter? Personally, I think all of this stinks, and is unfair to these players that at the high school level this is even being talked about. Lost alot of repect for Karns, and this sends the wrong message. And thats the K2ruth

I think some posters will see a little red as it relates to Oak Ridge. CF was an ok club coach but is no where near the coach that she replaces. OR won;t be in the mix. Karns has a new libero, and may have a new setter and a new hitter if they can find a place to rent. I don;t agree with either move. The setter was great in the region tournament. The hitter was ok, couldn't really tell because the middles get 98% of the sets which will get them beat by better coached teams. Why do area schools allow such open recruiting? Karns has the best player, but I think changing libero is wrong, and I think you should back off on the setter. Farragut and Catholic are going to be strong. I don't expect Bearden or Maryville to be back. AC and Karns are the 2 teams to beat. AC is young with a new coach. How much better can they get over the year? Can Karns win it all with the Middles or nothing approach? And that is the K2ruth

The gap between Anderson County and the rest of the pack just got wider. OR (contrary to Orcats "wishing") will not be in the mix. CF is an average club coach, with no real coaching experience. Coach Smith and Coach Cantrell at AC and Coach Jones at KC are levels above. Karns has the most senior talent and if they in fact have a libero transfer and are getting a hitter, then they should be the team to beat. I like their old Libero, and was surprised that they recruited a new one so hard. Same with the setter and hitter. I was at the Region last year and the setter had a great tournament. Why change her? It seems that there may be some ego with the 2 middles. It is hard to win with middles. I think they try and go to the middle way too much, and should use the hitters more. This is the problem when you recruit players, you have to make them promises in order to keep them. Not a fan of the star system or just cutting a senior libero lose? Karns and AC will be the 2 top team this year with Catholic a close 3rd. and that is the K2ruth

2010 was the best club season in the history of Knoxville volleyball. As most people across the state are aware the club teams in Knoxville were stagnant. A group of experienced, hard working, and talented people had a vision for a new type of club program, and now we are seeing the benefits. With a focus on improving play, and providing great instruction, the interest in Knoxville volleyball has exploded. Knoxville needed this for a long time, and now they have got it! With all of the new faces in town for next season, expect next year to be even better. Thanks to all of the great support from the parents, high school coaches, and most important the girls. K2's first year was FANTASTIC! And thats the K2truth

Moral of the story is parents have no business being involved in certain type of decisions. It sounds like these parents cost this school a great coach. Society has let sports get out of control. Parents should quit trying to live their lives through their children. The "buzz" through the Knoxville club teams is that every high school and club coach in town wants this job. Several good jobs including Farragut; Oak Ridge; CAK and Webb all came open this season. They pale in comparison to the Anderson County job, which is the volleyball job to have. The suspicion is that if the school does not get who they want they won't make a quick decision. According to the paper Coach Cantrell will manage the team until Coach Wade's replacement can be found. It wouldn't surprise me that they might even wait until next season unless they get who they want in the next few weeks. It also wouldn't surprise me if they make a hire in the next few days given the unprecedented interest. AC is loaded with size and talent, young talent. Next year will be great. And thats the K@ruth

I don't know coach Wade or coach Cantrell that well, but the players speak highly of both, and they run a fantastic program. I watched the Regional Tournament that AC hosted last year and it was the most professionally and classiest run high school event that I have ever seen, and their team wan't even a participant. Anderson County is the standard for volleyball programs in east Tenn. This is the high school job to have. It pays the most; has the best infrastructure and a tradition like no other. Every coach in the area, and several who are willing to relocate, will take a shot at this job. All of AC's girls played club this year (which has never happened before) and they return their whole team with alot of size. With the right coach they are state bound. Does anyone have any idea who will get it? What a big year for Knoxville area volleyball. The best club year ever is getting ready to be followed by the most exciting high school season ever with all of the premiere programs having new coaches! And thats the K2ruth