Lady Dragons rally into region semifinals

October 14, 2026 by Alan Sloan

It took a dramatic comeback against their biggest rivals to keep the Clinton High School volleyball team’s season alive, earn a district runner-up finish and secure a trip to Maryville for the region semifinals Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Clinton was scheduled to face Maryville at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, in the region semifinals, with the match taking place after press time. A victory over the Lady Rebels would send the Lady Dragons to the region championship match against the winner of the Knox Central-Hardin Valley Academy semifinal.

Tuesday’s semifinal losers would see their seasons end, while the two region finalists would advance to sectional play.

Trailing Anderson County two sets to one, the Lady Dragons rallied to win the fourth set 25-17 and the decisive fifth set 15-9 to end the Lady Mavericks’ season Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Clinton won the opening set 25-23 before dropping the next two 25-18 and 25-22.

Seeded third in the district tournament, Clinton entered regional play with a 25-12 overall record.

The Lady Dragons fell to Knox Central in straight sets in the district championship match, also played Oct. 6.

In that match, Anslee Carmichael recorded seven kills, six digs and two aces. Alaina Staudenmaier added 10 assists and three kills.

Lady Dragons head coach Lorri Johnson praised her four seniors who earned All-Tournament honors.

“Jailie Rodd is the heartbeat of the team,” Johnson said. “She sets and hits, and she’s the most verbal. And, you know, if you take her out, we’re in trouble.

“You know, if she’s having a rough moment, she’s going to fix it at some point pretty quickly,” she added. “And she’s got to be on the court. Unfortunately, she’s not very tall. But she works hard.”

Rodd finished with 21 assists, 15 digs, seven kills and two aces against Anderson County.

Senior middle hitter Parker McGhee also earned All-Tournament honors.

“If we can just get Parker the ball, she’s going to put it down 70 or 80 percent of the time,” Johnson said. “But it’s harder to get the ball to the middle than it is to the outsides. The majority of balls go to the outsides. Anslee and Maggie Moke are the outsides, but they’re still strong hitters, and they’re both smart hitters.”

McGhee delivered 14 kills, seven blocks, four digs and two aces in the rivalry showdown.

“Maggie Moke, being a senior, she’s a powerful hitter, but then she’s also learning to be a smart hitter, so that in itself is of value,” Johnson said. “Because you’ve got to know when to swing away and you’ve got to know when to roll it in or tip it in.”

Moke contributed nine kills against the Lady Mavericks.

Senior defensive specialist Hanna Harvey also turned in one of her strongest performances, collecting 34 digs.

“Hanna Harvey, the little defensive specialist senior, had her best match of the year versus Anderson County,” Johnson said.

“No doubt she deserved All-Tournament, and that was exciting to see her get that because she’s the smallest one on the court. You know, and sometimes the smallest one has the biggest heart.”

Johnson also encouraged her seniors to explore opportunities to continue playing volleyball at the college level.

“I’ve encouraged them all to check into all the junior colleges because with the new rules, you can get two years of junior college experience and then you can go four years somewhere else,” Johnson said.

For Anderson County, the five-set defeat brought a disappointing end to a season that included a No. 2 seed in the district tournament.

Lady Mavericks head coach Jayme Smith said her team faced an unexpected challenge when a starting middle hitter suffered an injury just hours before the match.

“It’s always disappointing,” Smith said. “You have to remember that every team in the state ends up with a loss but one.

“And it is hard when you lose your starting middle, you know, hours before you’re supposed to play with an injury.”

Smith did not identify the injured player.

Despite the setback, Smith praised her team’s ability to adjust and credited Clinton for its performance.

“I feel like our girls came out and took the change well,” she said. “Shout out to Clinton. They had a great year, and they always come ready to play us no matter what part of the season it is. They’re well-coached, and they had a little bit more in the tank than we did.”

Smith said she was unsure of her team’s final record or which Lady Mavericks earned All-Tournament recognition.

Although Anderson County’s season ended sooner than hoped, Smith singled out several players for their performances during the district tournament.

“Emerie Bullock, our libero, had a great two nights,” Smith said of the senior.

She also praised Katelynn Castleberry, an outside hitter who stepped into a larger role during the tournament.

“We had a little sophomore that came in, Katelynn Castleberry, and I feel like she really just came alive and lit it up,” Smith said. “She’s been playing on and off for us all season.”

Another key adjustment involved Khloe Wilkerson, who moved into the middle following the injury.

“We had to move Khloe Wilkerson to the middle, and it’s not a position she’d been in all year, but I feel like she did a really good job today stepping up for the team,” Smith said.