Tuesday’s contest saw Greeneville push Sullivan East to the limit, but the Lady Greene Devils came up short in a 3-1 (16-25, 25-16, 24-26, 28-30) loss to the Lady Patriots.
“There’s a lot to take away from this game about ourselves. About how we respond to certain types of pressure and this specific team had a little different type of pressure than what we might have seen in the last few games and matches. It’s a great opportunity to learn. I thought we were gritty. There were a ton of unforced errors which is tough, but the biggest point that I’m proud of them about is that they kept digging in, and clawing, and just fighting. That is an attribute that we have to love,” Greeneville Head Coach Sara Aiken explained.
It was exciting inside of Greeneville High School’s gymnasium on Tuesday night, but an annoying one for Greeneville fans. The Lady Devils came out flat in the first set and surrendered late leads in the third and fourth sets that resulted in their loss. Greeneville had multiple opportunities to seal the deal or break away, but Sullivan East just wouldn’t go away without a fight. Greeneville couldn’t win the tough sets that came down to the wire.
The Lady Devils fall to 2-2 in District 1-2A play with the loss.
The first set started with Sullivan East jumping out to a 7-2 lead. Greeneville called a timeout early on, but Sullivan East stayed in control and extended its lead to 16-9 before another Lady Devils timeout. Greeneville never gained any momentum and dropped the first set 25-16.
The Lady Devils woke up and came to life in the second set. Aubree Honeycutt blocked a shot at the net to start and Katie Johnson blocked a shot soon after to put Greeneville ahead 6-3. Gabby Atchison dumped a shot over the net for a 9-3 lead. The Lady Patriots won four-straight aided by back-to-back aces and pulled within two at 9-7.
Greeneville went on a run winning eight of the next ten to gain a 17-9 advantage. Skyler Blair contributed with an ace and Katie Johnson delivered a kill during the run. Sullivan East won three-straight before Johnson stuffed another shot at the net to kill any momentum they created. Aubree Honeycutt helped put the set away with a kill and an ace in the back end of the set. Gabby Atchison ended it with a kill.
“They just came out ready to play in that second set. Kind of wish they would’ve came that ready to play in the first set, but that is a part of that learning process. For them to be able to take what we’re giving them on the sideline and make the adjustments right then is a very mature response. So, the response is what I’m very proud of,” Aiken said.
Greeneville won the second set by the same score, 25-16, and tied the set 1-1.
The third set is one Greeneville wishes they could have back. The Lady Devils led by as many as seven points, but surrendered a late comeback effort and lost the set.
Natalie Knight was red hot to start the third and delivered three early kills to help gain an 8-5 lead. “Tonight she became a consistent go-to option for our team,” Coach Aiken said.
Allison Hayes caught the defense off guard with a quick dump and Knight provided a trio of kills for a 16-11 advantage. Hayes delivered an ace in service and the lead sat at 18-11 before it withered away.
Sullivan East won eight of the next eleven and closed the gap to 21-19. Katie Johnson’s kill brought Greeneville closer to the finish line, but the big turning point in the set was a re-do on a Greeneville point that would’ve put the Lady Devils ahead 23-19. An ace from Audrey Easley and a block from Makayla Moore tied it 22-22.
The officiating created controversy and debate at many points in the third and fourth sets. Greeneville took a 23-22 lead, but it was ruled the Lady Devils stepped over the line, but was then reversed and the play stood. Moore delivered a crushing blow with back-to-back kills to jump in front 24-23. The Lady Patriots finished the set winning four of the last five and won the third set, 26-24, to hold a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was extremely close the whole entire way even though Sullivan East stayed in control throughout. Natalie Knight started with a kill and Greeneville struck first. Sullivan East won six of the next eight and led 6-3 after Makayla Moore’s kill ended a marathon set. Riley Ireland slammed one into the hardwood for a kill and sparked a run for Greeneville. Katie Johnson collected three kills to close the gap to 12-11 before Sullivan East won three-straight to widen the gap.
Katie Johnson and Gabby Atchison were both huge down the stretch. Johnson’s kill and Atchison’s two-straight blocks followed by a kill soon after helped Greeneville claw back to tie it 18-18. Aubree Honeycutt’s block helped Greeneville regain the lead 19-18 and Ireland’s back-to-back kills extended the lead to 21-19.
Just as they did in the third set, Sullivan East rallied back and won four of the next five to take a 23-22 lead. Greeneville called a timeout and the fireworks began. Johnson’s kill tied it 24-24. Down 25-24, Knight delivered a kill and Johnson delivered an ace to take a 26-25 lead. Makayla Moore’s back-to-back kills handed Sullivan East a 27-26 lead. Knight’s kill tied it 27-27. Greeneville ran out of gas at the end and couldn’t overcome any more late deficits.
Sullivan East outlasted Greeneville and took the fourth set, 30-28, to defeat Greeneville 3-1.
“I told the girls that the things we learn tonight about ourselves, some of the ways that we make decisions when we feel pressure, tomorrow we’re going to work on some of those very things. We’re going to put them in game-like situations and let them have opportunities to get better at that then apply it in our next match and all subsequent matches. We respond by just working harder,” Coach Aiken expressed.
The Lady Devils host Unicoi County next on Thursday.
