The defending state volleyball champion Cleveland Lady Raiders haven't gotten off to the start they were hoping for, but came up big against crosstown rival Bradley Central Tuesday, inside “The Jim.”
Cleveland (6-4) handled the Bearettes (1-6) 25-14, 25-13 in the first two sets, but had to make a late push in the final set of the night eventually pulling out a 25-19 win to for the sweep.
“I felt like we battled the last game,” said Lady Raider coach Amy McGowan after the win. “We've been on the trouble bus for the first week of the season. We have been having trouble communicating. We got a little better tonight, but I'm still not super pleased. We have a lot of work to do.”
After opening the season with a loss to 2022 state tournament Top 5 Maryville, Cleveland bounced back with a trio of wins, including knocking off state runners-up East Hamilton (DI-AA) and Baylor (DII-AA) in the same night.
Heading to Knoxville over the weekend to defending their previous year's championship at the "Showdown at the Sunsphere," the Lady Raiders won their first two pool matches over Father Ryan and Ravenwood, but then dropped three straight to Pope (Ga.), Hardin Valley Academy and a rematch with Father Ryan.
Cleveland will host Farragut Wednesday before opening District 5-AAA play Thursday with a short trip to the north end of the county to battle Walker Valley, in "The Stable."
Bradley will play their first match in the new District 6-AAA Thursday as Ooltewah comes calling.
The Bearettes were happy to see the return of senior setter Ashlyn Stuman, a four-year starter, who adds great experience to the Bradley Central rotation.
“We played a little better as the match went on,” said veteran head coach Christie McEelhaney. “Tonight was Stu's (Ashlyn Stuman) first night back. She's been in a boot for over three weeks. We made some adjustments, but we've still got a lot of growth to work on.”
Cleveland took control early in the first set as Lily O'Bryan's two aces pushed Cleveland to a 5-1 lead. An ace from Bradley's Kaely Willams in front of a Laney Inman block shifted momentum for a short time as the Bearettes took a 7-5 advantage.
Gunny Brock opened a 7-1 Lady Raider run with a block and Lauren Hurst added an ace. Taylor Michaelis added three more aces minutes later to open a 13-8 advantage.
Cleveland picked up 11 of the next 15 points with a block by the 6-foot-3 Hurst, the 2022 Gatorade Tennessee Volleyball Player of the Year, and a set-winning ace from Michaelis.
A pair of aces by Brock helped Cleveland jump to a 7-1 lead in the second set.
O'Bryan sent an unanswered serve over the net to make it a 12-4 game before a Michaelis ace and Kinslee McGowan kill put Cleveland out front by double digits (16-6). The Lady Raiders built a 23-10 lead before closing out the set with a final kill by Brock.
The Bearettes came firing back in the final set of the night, rolling to a 6-4 lead before an ace from Stuman made it 8-5.
Cleveland battled back to tie the score at 10-10, but the hosts rallied for four straight points, underscored by a kill by Inman. The junior slammed home another spike to put Bradley out front 17-13.
From there the Lady Raiders settled in with five straight points to take the lead before a service error knotted the score at 18-18.
A side out put Cleveland out front for good as kills from McGowan and Brock gave the Lady Raiders a 22-18 lead.
A pair of Addison Brock aces made it 24-18. The Bearettes picked up a final point on a Cleveland service error, before O'Bryan ended the match with a final kill.
“It's been hard for the girls because I think everybody feels like we're supposed to pick up exactly where we left of last year. We're a different team and people are in different roles. It's going to take some time,” said Coach McGowan, a two-time former Bearette State Championship MVP (1994-95).
“We did some good things that we were better at than we were last week. That's encouraging. But, we've got a lot of room to improve.”
With the return of Stuman, the Bearettes will look to continue to build on a solid foundation.
“We still haven't solidified our rotation, who's where because our setter has been out,” said Coach McElhaney. “We've just got to keep working. We've got a lot to work with. I've got some good kids. We'll keep working with that.”
