All good things ...
Hardin Valley ousts Clinton
Clinton’s Lanee Carmichael gets off a shot against Hardin Valley last Tuesday. (photo:Ken Leinart )
Despite seeing her team’s 2023 season come to a halt, Clinton High School volleyball Coach Lorri Johnson couldn’t be disappointed.
“Regionally, we’re catching up and we accomplished our goals for this season and then some,” Johnson said after the Lady Dragons lost to Hardin Valley Academy, 25-20, 25-20, 25-12 in the opening round of the Region 2-AAA Tournament on Tuesday, Oct 10, at the Don W. Lockard Gymnasium. “We’re definitely headed in the right direction.”
The 2023 campaign was the best in Clinton High School volleyball history, as the Lady Dragons, with a 26-12 overall record, swept their way through the District 3-AAA regular season, going a perfect 12-0 in league play. They did not lose a set in district competition until their league finale against Knoxville Halls, defeating the Lady Devils 3-1 in North Knox County’s Halls Crossroads community.
Clinton followed that up by defeating Knox Central and Powell in the district’s postseason tournament, which was played at Oak Ridge’s Wildcat Arena.
By winning the district tournament championship, the first for the Lady Dragons, Clinton earned the right to host the regionals.
The Lady Dragons went toe-to-toe with the Lady Hawks and had leads in each of the first two sets. They held leads in each game until HVA came back, using long late service runs to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
Darbi Brummett led Clinton’s hitting attack as she had six kills and two blocks. She also came up with five digs.
Lanee Carmichael added four kills and one block, while Riley Owens and Josie Moody finished with three kills each. Moody also had 14 assists and 13 digs. Owens had a pair of service aces, Clinton’s only two aces of the match. She also finished the match with six digs.
Libero McKenzie Crisp had 10 digs.
Moody, Crisp and Brummett were named to the all-region tournament team.
“I think we earned some respect,” Johnson said. “All three of those girls were unanimously voted on by all four of the coaches.”
In the other region semifinal, Maryville defeated the Lady Panthers. Maryville later clinched a trip to the state tournament. by winning a sectional match Thursday night. The Lady Hawks were eliminated in the state sectional round, dropping a five-set match to West Ridge on the road.