East Tennessee Update

[orcat]

This is the most well balanced year in recent memory for Knoxville area volleyball. Every year it has always been the same story: Anderson County has a great team, Farragut is really good, and everyone else is up and down. This year is wide open with 6 teams competing for a Regional Championship.

 

First, the flu hit all of us hard, so some of the recent scores may be a little deceptive!

 

Karns has played great all year, but Oak Ridge beat them 3-0 last week. They have a great middle, but when she is not on they are not the same team. They also serve big top spin serves, but when they miss they miss big. Oak Ridge is their nightmare match up. An OR vs Karns game is advantage OR.

 

Oak Ridge is having a big year. The Karns win was big. Also beat Anderson County in the semi finals of the ET Round-Up. (Not a district game). OR won the first, AC the second and OR the 3rd. AC and OR are well balanced and play again on Tues. OR is big, and better defensively then Karns. Also, OR can shut down Karns middle, and is better at the other positions. OR does not match up well with AC.

 

Anderson County is the most athletic team in the Region but also the youngest starting 3 freshman and 2 sophs. OR played them early and beat them hard. Saturday was a different AC team. They are learning fast. They obviously know how to coach young teams, and if they keep improving they are scary. Nightmare semi final match-up for either OR or Karns.

 

I think Oak Ridge is the team to beat. This week will be key for seeding purposes. The nightmare for OR or Karns is whoever has to play AC in the semi's. Any of the three can win it all. OR's best scenerio is Karns and AC play first and they get a tired winner. Same for Karns. I don't think they can beat Oak Ridge. AC can beat OR. Karns best draw is AC knocks off OR and they get a young AC team in the finals.

 

AC can beat either OR or Karns, but are they too young to beat both back to back? I think so. Their coaches will have them well prepared for the semi's but I don't know if they can prepare for both back to back. I think AC will beat 1 of them, but not both.

 

Right now it is Karns to lose. If they trust the big middle, and use her right, they should win the district. They better hope AC beats OR in the semis because they can't beat OR in the finals. OR hopes that Karns beats AC in the semis, and that they don't want to have to play AC in the semis.

 

In the other district Maryville is hot! Maryville beat Farr and Catholic last week. Farr has a great player who has been hurt. If she is healthy they win. If not, they are out. Catholic is solid, but doesn't have the talent of Maryville. They have to hope that Maryville and Farr meet in the semis because they can't beat Maryville or a healthy Farr. Maryville is the team right now. They play up and down. They don't put teams away. They are ripe for an upset, but if they stay focused they should win.

 

If Farr is healthy they win. If Maryville is focused they win. Catholic is good enough to slip up on either and win.

 

In the Region it should be anybody's to win. Experience is important. Certain schools know how to win big games, certain teams don't. There is a reason why AC, Farr, and Catholic have been to the state tournament and Karns, Maryville and OR (in the last few years) have not.

[Mamawvolley]

Orcat,

 

Agree with your top 6, but think you are underestimating KARNS. Didn't Karns beat OR earlier in the year????

 

I've seen them play a couple of times this season, and I'm seeing a whole lot more than just one middle. I'm seeing TWO middles, some small outsides that play smart and move to the ball well, strong setter, and an impressive libero. I'm seeing a pretty balanced team.

 

One of the keys for the next few weeks for all of these teams may very well be who can stay the healthiest! All of these teams have struggled with the flu, strep, and some other viruses.

[orcat]

Not underestimating Karns, they should win but I don't think they will. Here's why:

 

1)Karns did win the first time, but OR destroyed them the last week. The main reason is that some of the local team like Karns, Catholic and Farragut get most of their coaching from playing club. They always start strong, but don't really get any better during the season. Oak Ridge doesn't have that many club players and they get most of their instruction during the season. They catch up with the club teams. Same goes for Anderson County who never have any club players. If you are going to beat them you have to do it early. OR has not only caught up with Karns, they are playing better.

 

2)OR is a bad match-up for Karns. They are better defensively than Karns, and make adjustments to stop the big middle. I don't think Karns in the tournament. Likewise, AC is a bad match-up for OR. They are more athletic and faster. This week will determine the seeding. If OR and Karns meet before the finals I pick OR. Karns best draw is that AC and OR meet in the semi's and AC beats OR (which could happen). If that is the case Karns has a ride to the sub-state because no team in the other district can beat them.

 

3)Karns does have a good second middle, but the MB that came from Farragut is a special player. She is one of if not the best middle in TN. She is hard to handle. OR figured out how to stop her and won 3-0. Farragut is the same type of team. Their big setter is a force. The difference is that Farragut knows how to use their big player, Karns forgets sometimes. They will go 2 or 3 rotations and not set her. When that happens they become average. Then they use her when they need a point and by that time a good team will adjust.

 

4)They are too aggressive with the big top-spin serve. They only know how to serve a big tennis top-spin. I think they take too many chances. They missed alot of serves against OR. I don't know if they know how to serve anything else. They count on the ace for alot of there points. It also sets up the middles for the overpass. That is tough serve to hit consitently. When they miss it hurts.

[orcat]

Mamawvolley, I was reading another of your posts and I saw where you referenced that 2 of the Karns players had moms that played at UT, one of which was a former Norris (Anderson County) player. Isn't the asst coach at Karns a former Anderson County player that played at Tennessee Tech? Are these the same or are they 2 different players? Oak Ridge's coach is a former Anderson County player, did any of them play together?

[Mamawvolley]

There is a volunteer working with the team -- Linda Stooksbury Severs. Yes, she was a middle for Anderson County in the 80's and then went on to play at Tennessee Tech after high school.

 

So, I think she is much older than the current ORHS and ACHS coaches.

 

The two Karns players you are asking about are actually the Bonee twins and their mother played at UT. I believe she and Severs both played under Rita Hackler -- the first Norris High and Anderson County coach -- who is credited with laying the foundation for the volleyball program in Anderson County. You see a lot of great players and coaches coming out of that end of Anderson County.

[my2centz]

Some good volleyball matches will be played in Northeast Tennessee Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. Two Middle Tennessee teams, Ravenwood and Ooltewah, will travel to Dobyns-Bennett High School to scrimmage the Lady Indians.

[silverpie]

Ooltewah's not Middle Tennessee. It's located in Hamilton County (but not in the city of Chattanooga).

[my2centz]

Lady Indians Sweep Ravenwood, Ooltewah; Earn Top Spot in State Rankings

 

 

By Steve Wilmoth

TriCitiesSports.com

October 3, 2009

 

KINGSPORT – Three of the state’s top ranked volleyball squads put on a dazzling display of digs, sets and kills for admiring fans Saturday at the Buck Van Huss Dome in Kingsport.

 

When the dust settled, it was host Dobyns-Bennett who dispatched of previously top-ranked and unbeaten Ravenwood and eighth-ranked Ooletwah in matches that may very well be repeated in the state tournament later this month.

 

Facing the Ravenwood twin towers of 6-5 Madelyn Hutson and 6-4 Meredith Richardson, the Lady Indians struggled initally defending the power of the two future Division 1 players.

 

“At first it looked like we thought we were supposed to be setting for them,” said Dobyns-Bennett head coach Kathy Shaffer. “I don’t believe that big girl needed any help.”

 

The Lady Raptors forged a 24-21 lead in game one before the Tribe rallied for the tie on a spectacular block of Hutson by the Indians’ 6-3 Meredith Hardy. A Jazzy Oates kill put Ravenwood back out front before a devastating Megan Devine kill tied the first contest once again at 25. Dobyns-Bennett earned the first game victory on another Hardy block.

 

Shaffer said the comeback was a matter of her team adjusting to the game speed brought by the Raports.

 

“They play a lot faster than we do up here,” explained Shaffer. “Nashville is very strong [for volleyball]. You have to quicken up your game. You have to also be mentally tough. I was pleased with my girls.”

 

Ravenwood once again gained the edge in the second contest jumping to an 11-5 edge before the Lady Indians went back to work. A Devine block was again the catalyst but it was also the relentless defensive pursuit of every Lady Raptor shot that keyed the Tribe to another comeback win.

 

“Everybody knows we have big hitters, but I told people before the season that would be surprised about our defense,” added Shaffer. “I thought our defense was great today.”

 

Devine continued her assault that eventually led to a 2-0 D-B advantage with five more kills and another block.

 

“What can you say about Megan,” said a rhetorical Shaffer. “She’s just such a great competitor.”

 

Game three was nip and tuck until Jamie Rutledge ran off five straight service points to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 14-10 Tribe advantage. Ravenwood would get no closer than two points as Dobyns-Bennett [32-0] handed the Raptors [32-1] their first loss of the season.

 

“I’m glad we beat them in three,” grinned Shaffer. “That’s going to be in the back of their minds if we play them again. That feels good.”

 

Devine was once again brilliant with her all-around game finishing with 27 digs, 18 kills and four blocks.

 

“We were extra pumped because we wanted to show what we can do,” said Devine, who will take her skills to East Tennessee State next season. “They’re [Ravenwood] a great team, but pulled together and played great as a team.”

 

Ravenwood got 15 kills and three blocks from Hutson, just a junior but already verbally committed to Texas and 9 kills and 2 blocks from Richardson, who will suit up for North Carolina State next season.

 

Tribe juniors Meredith Hardy and Jamie Rutledge, also considered as Division 1 prospects by Tribe insiders added seven kills and two blocks and 30 assists and 13 digs respectively.

 

Lori Peterson , Kate Jones and Katie Halvorsen were courageous in defending the power of Ravenwood and made 24, 30 and 18 digs respectively. Stephanie Ashe added five kills and nine digs with Doniqua Flack contributing four kills for the Lady Indians who ascended to the top of the state rankings, but had little time to enjoy it.

 

“We get to celebrate being number one for about an hour,” said Shaffer. “We’re going to have to turn around and play a very good Ooltewah team. Normally you get a weekend of something to celebrate. We get about one game.”

 

It ended up being five games as Ooltewah and Ravenwood staged a marathon that saw the Owls pul out a 24-26, 25-14, 20-25, 26-24, 15-12 victory.

 

In the day’s final match, the Lady Indians dispatched of Ooltewah in another sweep, 25-11, 25-16, 25-17.

 

Devine again was stellar with 25 digs, 12 kills and three blocks. Hardy added 12 kills and 2 blocks. Jamie Rutledge dished out 30 assists and had six digs. Lori Peterson added another 21 digs to her collection.

 

Dobyns-Bennett will ascend to and keep the top spot in this week’s state rankings. The Indians [33-0] face two arch-rivals this week as the Big 8 regular season comes to a conclusion. The Lady Tribe hosts Science Hill on Monday and plays at Sullivan South on Tuesday.

[southknox49]

I agree with you about Karns, great team but something seems off with their team chemistry. They get very nervous when its close. In the region and state it will always be close. So I agree they will fall apart when the chips are down a little. I would say they may win the district but after that a toss up.

[my2centz]

The previously undefeated Dobyns-Bennett were defeated tonight 3-0 by the Lady Rebels of Sullivan South.

[fiftyfifty]

The loss probably helped DB more than anything else, less pressure going into tournament and a reminder that you never let your guard down.

[bb317]

Battle lines wow, isn't South where the great Coach Schafer started her career? That must have been a little personal. I agree, takes a lot of pressure of DB it's enough to play for a Championship w/o worrying about being undefeated...