In front of an energetic crowd on Rebel Hill, South Greene and Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts battled tooth and nail through five grueling sets.
In the end, the Lady Rebels punched their 17th consecutive ticket to the TSSAA State Tournament with a hard-fought 3–2 victory (25-14, 18-25, 25-22, 15-25, 15-12).
Coach Stephen Gregg admitted feeling a sense of relief after the win, “Getting that monkey off our back and not being the first team under my tenure to not go feels good.”
Gregg credited his team’s grit and determination for continuing the Lady Rebel tradition.
“You’ve gotta remember, we graduate,” he said. “We lost five great seniors, and this year we have seven. Being able to continually pass that torch is nothing short of amazing.”
The opening set was tightly contested early, with the Lady Eagles jumping out to a 7–3 lead that forced a South Greene timeout. The deficit grew to 9–5 before the Lady Rebels regrouped to tie it at 10–10. From there, senior Kortnei Bailey took over, recording three kills and an ace as South Greene stormed to a 25–14 win and a 1–0 lead.
South Greene looked to keep the momentum in the second set, jumping ahead 6–3, but CSLA responded with a dominant run to lead 21–12. The Lady Rebels closed the gap to 21–15 before the Eagles pulled away to win 25–18 and even the match at one set apiece.
“We felt like we gave the second set away with a lot of self-inflicted errors,” Gregg said. “But they bought into my challenge to bounce back and be the best they could be.”
In the third set, freshman Emma Padgett stepped up with four kills and an ace to lift South Greene to a 25–21 win. However, the Eagles answered again, cruising to a 25–15 fourth-set victory to force a decisive fifth.
The final set matched the intensity of the entire match. A Padgett kill and a Bailey ace ignited the home crowd as South Greene jumped ahead 4–1. CSLA battled back to tie it at 7–7, setting up a dramatic finish. With the score knotted at 11–11, Heidey Dean delivered a clutch ace to give the Lady Rebels a 13–11 lead, forcing a CSLA timeout. The Eagles managed to break serve, but South Greene scored the final two points to secure the 15–12 win — and another trip to Murfreesboro.
“Bailey and Padgett are about as good a duo as Batman and Robin,” Gregg said. “They complement each other so well.”
The dynamic duo will now lead the Lady Rebels into the state tournament on Tuesday at Siegel High School. For Bailey, a two-time state tournament veteran, the return trip is special; for Padgett, it’s an exciting first. Both share the same goal — to keep the Rebel tradition alive and bring home another state title.
For the 16TH-CONSECUTIVE season, THE SOUTH GREENE LADY REBELS ARE GOING BACK TO THE STATE TOURNAMENT!!
Listen in to hear what Lady Rebels Head Coach Stephen Gregg’s thoughts were after a thrilling five-set win over CLSA. pic.twitter.com/OmpEpsxT3h
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 17, 2025
South Greene’s Kortnei Bailey (@bailey_kortnei) & Emma Padgett discuss how much it means to keep South Greene’s tradition alive and reach the Class 1-1A State Tournament after last night’s thrilling win over CSLA. pic.twitter.com/ywneIBOhcj
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 17, 2025
It took five sets and a ton of grit, heart, and determination, but South Greene came away with the win in an instant classic of a match.
They win 3-2 over CLSA. #FirstHorizon pic.twitter.com/Cnp9LsLS2a
— GreeneSportsZone (@GSportsZone) October 17, 2025
