Dobyns-Bennett, Sullivan South Move on to Day Two at State Volleyball Tournament

Dobyns-Bennett, Sullivan South Move on to Day Two at State Volleyball Tournament
Dobyns-Bennett and Sullivan South scrambled back for elimination victories to stay alive in the TSSAA State Volleyball Tournament. TriCitiesSports.com photo by Dakota Hamilton.
by STEVE WILMOTH
TriCitiesSports.com
October 16, 2018

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Dobyns-Bennett and Sullivan South were both swept by defending state champions in the opening round of the 2018 TSSAA State Volleyball Tournament Tuesday afternoon, but both the Lady Indians and Lady Rebels bounced back to record elimination match wins on Tuesday evening and will advance to the second day of their respective tournaments.

In Class AAA action at Siegel High School, Dobyns-Bennett battled five-time defending state champion Brentwood before falling, 25-21, 25-16, 25-17.

After the tough four-point defeat in the opening stanza, the Lady Indians trailed the Bruins by just two in the second, 16-14 after a Caroline Cable kill, before the Bruins closed on a 9-2 run. Another Cable winner tied set three at 7-7, but Brentwood scored five straight to assume command on go on to the victory.

Meanwhile in the Class AA bracket over at the Murphy Center on the MTSU campus, Sullivan South saw an 18-13 first set lead over Portland slip away and the Lady Rebels never recovered in a 25-23, 25-14, 25-13 loss to the Panthers.

South was never headed in the first two sets of its losers’ bracket victory over Chester County. The Lady Rebels fought a fierce Lady Eagles’ effort in the third before finishing off the 25-10, 25-17, 27-25 win.

Maddie Townsend paced South (30-11) with 12 kills, four blocks and and four digs against Chester. Abby Jayne added 11 kills and five digs. Mollie Leslie and Carissa Comsa notched four kills apiece with Comsa added three blocks.

Olivia DeLung handed out 19 assists while Makkenzie Compton dished out thirteen.

Meredith St. Clair led the defense with 19 digs and added a pair of service aces. McKenzie Littleton chipped in with seven digs.

Dobyns-Bennett led by three at 17-14 after a Courtney Whitson kill in the first set of its elimination match against Station Camp, but the Bison rallied to take the frame, 25-23.

The Lady Indians never blinked though in dominating the next two sets, 25-11 and 25-19, to take a 2-1 advantage. 

With Chloe Harless on the service line, the Lady Tribe scored the final eight points of the second set. Including in the runs were a Hannah Watson kills, a dual block by Courtney Whitson and Staley Humphries, a Humphries winner, a Cable kills and a back row kill by Zoie Larkins to finish off the stanza.

Dobyns-Bennett led 21-12 in the third, but Station Camp scored five straight to cut the margin to 21-17. A Watson block blocked the Bison spurt and another Watson block and Watson kill on a slide secured the set.

The fourth set was incredibly hard-fought and saw a deadlock and ten straight junctures between deadlocks at 5-5 and 14-14. 

Neither squad had led by two until Station Camp moved ahead, 17-15. The Bison then took three-point advantages at 20-17 and 22-19 and 24-21. 

But again, the Lady Indian rally started with Watson whose kill started a three-point D-B sequence. Again, the Lady Tribe fought off a set point at 24-25 with Watson who won a battle at the net to produced the 14th tie of the set. 

Consecutive winners by Cable and Whitson finished off the Bison and moved Dobyns-Bennett on to Wednesday, where the Lady Indians (38-4) will face Cookeville (31-13) at 11:00 a.m. EDT at Blackman High School. Cookeville swept Collierville in the first-round before falling in a sweep to Siegel.

Sullivan South is back at The Murphy Center at the same time for an elimination match against East Hamilton (29-3). East Hamilton defeated Camden in four sets before dropping to the losers’ bracket in a tough sweep at the hands of Knox Catholic.

Both Portland and Brentwood won their semi-final matches to advance to the winners’ bracket finals.

Dobyns-Bennett and Sullivan South will both have to win three times on Wednesday to advance to Thursday’s state championship matches.

2018 TSSAA STATE VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
October 16-18, 2018
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

CLASS AAA

Tuesday, October 16 - Siegel High School
Game 1 - Brentwood def. Dobyns-Bennett, 25-21, 25-16, 25-17
Game 2 - Station Camp def. Houston, 25-23, 25-19, 13-25, 17-25, 15-12
Game 3 - Cookeville def. Collierville, 25-18, 25-22, 25-20
Game 4 - Siegel def. Heritage, 25-21, 21-25, 20-25, 25-16, 15-7

Game 5 - Brentwood def. Houston, 25-15, 25-18, 25-20
Game 6 - Siegel def. Cookeville, 25-22, 25-13, 26-24
Game 7 - Dobyns-Bennett def. Station Camp, 23-25, 25-11, 25-19, 27-25 - Station Camp eliminated
Game 8 - Heritage def Colliervile, 25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 23-25, 15-11 - Collierville eliminated

Wednesday, October 17 - Blackman High School
Game 9 - Dobyns-Bennett (37-4) vs Cookeville (31-13), 11:00 a.m.
Game 10 - Houston (32-13) vs Heritage (30-7) , 12:30 p.m.
Game 11 - Brentwood (45-3) vs Siegel 29-13), 2:00 p.m.
Game 12 - Game 9 winner vs Game 10 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 13 - Game 11 loser vs Game 12 winner, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 18 - The Murphy Center
Championship - Game 11 winner vs Game 13 winner, 2:30 p.m.

CLASS AA TOURNAMENT - The Murphy Center

Tuesday, October 16
Game 1 - Upperman def. Chester County, 19-25, 27-25, 25-19, 23-25, 16-14
Game 2 - Portland def. Sullivan South, 25-23, 25-14, 25-13
Game 3 - East Hamilton def. Camden, 9-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-20
Game 4 - Knox Catholic def. Jackson South Side, 28-26, 25-12, 25-15

Game 5 - Portland def. Upperman, 25-17, 25-23, 25-8
Game 6 - Knox Catholic def. East Hamilton, 31-29, 25-21, 27-25
Game 7 - Sullivan South def. Chester County, 25-10, 25-17, 27-25 - Chester County eliminated
Game 8 - Camden def. Jackson South Side, 21-25, 25-11, 25-14, 25-13 - Jackson South Side eliminated

Wednesday, October 17
Game 9 - East Hamilton (29-3) vs Sullivan South (30-11), 11:00 a.m.
Game 10 - Upperman (37-4) vs Camden (32-8), 12:30 p.m.
Game 11 - Portland (42-7) vs Knox Catholic (25-8), 2:00 p.m.
Game 12 - Game 9 winner vs Game 10 winner, 3:30 p.m.
Game 13 - Game 11 loser vs Game 12 winner, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, October 18
Championship - Game 11 winner vs Game 13 winner, 2:30 p.m.
 
 
 
 

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