The 2018 Lady Mavericks District 4-AA Volleyball Champions
Lady Mavs reign supreme - ACHS wins district; now hosts region tourney
The 2018 Lady Mavericks District 4-AA Volleyball Champions
Anderson County faced both Clinton and Gibbs High Schools last Tuesday night at Clinton High School, in District 4-AA Tournament play. In both matches, the Lady Mavs played some of their best volleyball all season.
The Lady Volleyball Mavs’ combined efforts led Anderson County to defeat Clinton and Gibbs, both in straight sets.
“We’ve worked very hard. We’ve come a long way, and the girls played lights out,” said Head Coach Jayme Smith.
Clinton and Anderson County met in the best-of-five district semifinal match. The Lady Mavs played strong both offensively and defensively, and defeated the Lady Dragons in straight sets—25-16, 25-13, 25-15. Sophomore outside hitter Morgan McMurray led Anderson County offensively, with 12 kills.
Additionally, McMurray finished the match with five digs and one service ace. Supporting McMurray was sophomore outside hitter Bailey Wilder and sophomore middle Matti Rowland. The sophomore duo tallied seven kills each. Wilder would add five digs and one ace. Rowland finished with one dig, two assists, and tied with Senior right side hitter Gracie Webb with two blocks each. Sophomore setter Hannah Freeman was the key to the Lady Mavs’ success all night. She would rack up a match-high 27 assists. Defensively, the Freeman sisters are hard to beat, and kept Clinton off the floor. Both Hannah and her sister, freshman libero Leah Freeman, led Anderson County with eight digs each. The Freeman duo tallied two aces each as well. Hannah finished with one kill, and Leah finished with three assists.
Senior Abbie Stinnett led Clinton’s attack outside hitter. She would rack up 11 kills, four digs, and one assist. Senior setter Madison Lambert, who tallied a team leading 16 assists, and six digs, accompanied Stinnett. Also, sophomore outside hitter Emma Clevinger added five kills, four digs, and one service ace. Defensively, the Lady Dragons were led by senior libero Annabelle Jackson, with 11 digs and an assist. As well as #12, who tallied eight digs with one assist.
Anderson County’s semifinal win over crosstown rival Clinton meant that the Lady Mavs would take on the top-seeded Lady Eagles of Gibbs. Gibbs defeated Grainger in straight sets in their semifinal bout and with the win, confirmed an exciting District 4-AA Championship matchup. From the first serve, the atmosphere of the Clinton High School Gymnasium was electric—as two very talented teams fought for hardware, along with the right to host the region tournament. Both teams were able to go on their own share of runs, and momentum swayed back and forth all match long. Neither team was able to stretch their lead too far ahead before being countered. “Gibbs pushed back a few times, but we didn’t let them take anything,” said Smith. Gibbs forced Anderson County to play strong defensively, and when the Lady Mavs did so, it turned into immediate offensive opportunities. Anderson County shocked top-seeded Gibbs in exciting fashion, winning in straight sets—27-25, 25-19, 25-23. “I think defense really helped us. We took charge at the net, and never backed down,” said Smith.
The Lady Mavs’ front row picked the right time to put on a show. Bailey Wilder scored a team-leading 12 kills, 14 digs, and one block. Matti Rowland had a strong performance at the net, with 11 kills, a team-high five blocks, and added three digs. Morgan McMurray led Anderson County in digs with 21, had ten kills, and one ace. The Freeman sisters always come to play, and they did not disappoint. Leah was big for the Lady Mavs defensively, with 20 digs, and added one kill. Hannah is Anderson County’s offensive cheat code. She can give her teammates a chance to make plays from anywhere on the floor—something many high school setters have not mastered. Hannah had a ridiculous match-high 38 assists, with 12 digs, and three service aces.
With the win, the Lady Mavs put new hardware in the Anderson County trophy case, and the right to host the Region-2 Tournament. This past Tuesday, Anderson County faced District 3-AA Runner-Up Alcoa. The winner advanced to play the Knoxville Catholic/Gibbs winner for the Region-2 Championship. The results of those matches were unavailable by press time. The winner of the Region-2 Championship match will host their Sub-state match, while the runner-up will travel to face the Region-1 Tournament Champion. First serve for the Sectional matches are scheduled for 7:00 Thursday night.