MURFREESBORO – Chuckey-Doak volleyball’s first-ever run through the Class AA State Tournament came to an end on Thursday after suffering a loss to Crockett County 3-1 (25-22, 24-26, 25-16, 25-21).
The Lady Black Knights capped off a remarkable year and left a historic mark on the volleyball program. They reached the state tournament for the first time, won their first taste state tournament game, and finished as one of the top six teams in the Class AA division in the state of Tennessee.
“This is a very special group of girls. They have given me everything that I have asked and then some. The cards just weren’t in our favor in this game. But, that’s okay because we’re not done. This is see you later at state this isn’t goodbye. And we’re going to come back even stronger and even better. I just want to take everything they’ve given me this season and just really soak it in and really enjoy this time I had,” Head Coach Marissa Snapp said.
They started with eventual third-place finisher Creek Wood on Tuesday and lost that game 3-1 to send them to the consolation bracket. They then defeated Upperman 3-1 on Wednesday which helped them advance to Thursday’s game with Crockett County. Chuckey-Doak held a lead or a tie in all four sets, but came up short in the closing stages and lost.
Chuckey-Doak finished the year 21-9 with a second-place finish in District 1-AA in the regular season, a runner-up finish in both the District 1-AA and Region 1-AA Tournaments, and a top six finish in the Class AA State Tournament.
“I feel like proud is an understatement, but it’s genuinely the best word I can think of. It’s been a lot of hard work and determination and like my libero said last night a lot of grit. They have given everything they had to this season. They are amazing girls off the court and they are even better together on the court,” Coach Snapp explained.
The Lady Knights started red hot in the opening set thanks in part to Belle Karriker’s incredible start. Karriker delivered five points in the first eight volleys to send Chuckey-Doak ahead 7-1 early.
“Between her and Jayden taking care of serves on the back row and Belle taking care of the front row and blocking. They were both just on fire,” Coach Snapp expressed.
A block and a kill helped pad that lead to 13-2. It looked like they would cruise to a first-set win, but the Lady Cavs did not let that happen. Back-to-back blocks and an ace cut the lead to 13-7. They inched closer and closer until tying the match at 19-19. Jacey Taylor momentarily put Chuckey-Doak ahead 21-20, but Crockett County won five of the last six to erase an 11-point deficit and win the first set 25-22.
The second set was super close through the first 22 volleys, but Crockett managed to lead 13-9. Coach Snapp called a timeout and it effectively worked. Addy Pruitt and Belle Karriker delivered kills and eventually worked the game into a 14-14 tie that forced Crockett County to take a timeout. Karriker and Taylor provided more kills to send Chuckey-Doak ahead 17-16. Jayden Myers got involved and maintained their lead with a kill. Carlene Bishop helped inch them closer to victory with a kill that put them one point away, but Crockett County wouldn’t go down without a fight. They won back-to-back volleys to tie it at 24-24. Sophomore Jacey Taylor delivered the final blow with a booming kill to give Chuckey-Doak a 26-24 win in the second to tie it 1-1.
They started slow in the third and fell behind 4-1, but clawed their way back to a 9-9 tie with kills from Carlene Bishop, Belle Karriker, Jacey Taylor, and Chloe Kirkpatrick. They would lose six of the next eight and fell behind 15-11 and Coach Snapp called a timeout. The timeout didn’t work to their advantage like it had in the second set. Their deficit grew larger before the Lady Cavs ran away with a 25-16 win in the third to take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was an up-and-down battle that they just couldn’t finish. They started out by trailing 4-0, but scored seven-straight points with Jacey Taylor in service. Jayden Myers got them on the board with a kill and gave Taylor the opportunity to dish out a trio of aces from the service line. The Lady Knights led 7-4 before Crockett County won nine of the next ten to gain a 13-8 lead. A block by Karriker and a pair of kills from Taylor brought them within one, 15-14. Sophomore Kimberly Puente served an ace to tie it 15-15 and give Chuckey-Doak new life. They fell behind again, but kept it close with an ace from Addy Pruitt and a kill by Myers. They tied it 19-19 and fell behind 22-20 and called a timeout. The timeout worked for a moment as Karriker delivered a kill, but it would be the last point of their terrific season.
Chuckey-Doak trailed 23-21 and seemed to close the gap to one with a shot out of bounds, but the officials ruled that the Lady Knights tipped the ball and gave Crockett County the point. They trailed 24-21 and had most of the life sucked out of them in that moment. They couldn’t recover and suffered a 25-21 defeat in the fourth set.
Chuckey-Doak’s remarkable season came to a close at Rockvale High School in Murfreesboro at the Class AA State Tournament.
Seniors Addy Pruitt, Carlene Bishop, and Cristen Bishop leave the program having the honor of taking the Lady Black Knights to their first State Tournament.
