STATE BOUND!
Lady Mavs win three straight sets to go back to Middle Tennessee
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Matti Rowland sends the ball right past a Central defender in the Region tournament.
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Rowland stretches out for the ball in the game against Sullivan Central. Behind her, Erin Cantrell waits to assist.
The volleyball Lady Mavericks are traveling to state again this year after three 3-0 wins against Knoxville Central, Carter, and Sullivan Central in the Class AA Region Tournament.
This year’s state tournament takes place at Blackman High School in Murfreesboro.
The Anderson County Lady Mavs didn’t drop a single set in their last three matches, winning against Sullivan Central 25-8, 25-12, and 25-16 to ensure their place at the state tournament.
They also beat the Knoxville Central Lady Bobcats 25-4, 25-11, and 25-19, and the Carter Lady Green Hornets 25-19, 25-10, and 25-6, putting their record for the season at 32-7, as of Oct. 19.
This will be the Lady Mavericks’ 16th appearance in the state tournament and their second-consecutive year in the tournament. They have not won a state championship since 1999, although in 2007, they were state runners-up.
The Lady Mavs’ first game took place Tuesday, Oct. 20, against Greeneville, who they had already beaten once this season, in August during the Cyclone Invitational. The Lady Mavs won that encounter 2-0, but with a narrow margin, finishing both sets 25-23, and 25-14.
If the Lady Mavs beat Greeneville, they will move on to face the winner of the matchup between Murfreesboro Central (28-11) and Covington (13-4).
The team that eliminated the Lady Mavs last year, East Hamilton (17-11), plays Crockett Co. (28-1) first this year, and, if they make it through that round, will have to face off against either Signal Mountain (18-16), or, more likely, the reigning state champs, Nolensville (34-4).
The final game of the tournament will take place at Siegel High School, also in Murfreesboro, at 1 p.m. Oct. 23.