CHURCH HILL – A slow start put Greeneville in a hole early, but a mighty comeback forced a fifth set in the Region 1-AA volleyball semifinals before Gibbs took a 3-2 win (25-22, 25-12, 24-26, 20-25, 15-12) on Tuesday night at Volunteer High School.
The fight the Lady Devils showed pretty much summed up their whole season. When they had been beat up and doubted, they came back swinging harder and eventually earned the respect of everybody.
It was a roller coaster of a season for the Lady Greene Devils. A team who struggled to find their identity all year finally found it and won their fifth-straight District 1-AA championship against all odds. When staring down the eyes of a defeat in demoralizing fashion, they came together as one and worked together to stage a fierce comeback that fell just short in the end. Although the comeback ended before it could be completed, it showed the heart that the Lady Devils displayed all year.
Head Coach Sara Aiken spoke about her team’s effort and heart they displayed on the court, “What they did in the end of that third set, fourth set, and the fight that they had, even though the heartache and disappointment of that loss is heavy, what they learned from that about themselves and as a team they’ll be able to keep that for way longer than the disappointment. The lesson of being gritty and never giving up is way more valuable than what they realize because it’s so disappointing at the moment. I’m super proud of them.”
Gibbs used strong runs to pull ahead in the first pair of sets and came very close to ending things in the third with a sweep before Greeneville escaped from the jaws of defeat. The Lady Devils trailed 23-15 and won 11 of the next 12 points to claw back and survive with a win. They controlled the fourth set and picked up a win before running out of gas in the fifth frame.
They started very slow in the first set and fell behind 5-1 before tying it 5-5 on four-straight points capped by Destani Bailey and Kyla Jobe’s kills. They’d stay neck-and-neck with them until Gibbs won four-straight to reach a 15-12 lead.
Kills by Leah Ford and Kinley McCaslin helped Greeneville stay on their heels, but a kill by Gibbs’ Macie Wolfe knocked the wind out of their sails. Destani Bailey collected three big kills at the end to pull them back within two, but Gibbs survived to win the first set 25-22.
Greeneville’s offense started hot in the second set and took an 8-4 lead in the early stage. Ford collected a kill, Brynlee Jones landed an ace, and Jobe fired away for a trio of kills. The offense dried up and they only scored four points the remainder of the second set. Gibbs took the set 25-12.
Their hot streak carried over into the third set as Gibbs took an immediate lead with an opening kill by Jadyn Parker and reached a 5-2 lead with two-straight kills from Ella Brannan.
Leah Ford and Kyla Jobe delivered kills to pull within three at 16-13. They’d quickly fall behind 23-15 after Gibbs won seven of the next nine rallies.
Facing elimination, Greeneville banded together to pull off a sensational comeback to keep their hopes alive. A key contributor in that run was Destani Bailey. She delivered three kills and a block.
“That was a big deal. Destani was a beast right there,” Coach Aiken said. “I’m so proud of her for that. It gave us the shot in the arm we needed.”
Emma Shelton collected an ace and did a very good job from the service line keeping the ball in play during their lengthy run.
The tying shot came from Kinley McCaslin’s spike to knot the score at 23-23. Shelton’s block capped off a 9-0 run and gave them a 24-23 lead. Brannan ended the run and tied it, but Bailey and McCaslin landed a pair of spikes that helped Greeneville complete their third-set comeback and win 26-24.
Greeneville made the early statement in the fourth set and jumped out to a 4-0 lead after a kill from Leah Ford and an ace from Kinley McCaslin.
Ella Brannan brought Gibbs back to tie it at 5-5 and was a force on the court all afternoon. She ended the night with a game-high 24 kills. She helped Gibbs take a 12-9 lead after a run of six in-a-row.
Greeneville’s offense was strong enough to keep up with Brannan and Gibbs’ hot offense. Trudi Aiken’s tip kill and Emma Shelton’s ace brought them within one at 12-11. Destani Bailey’s kill and block added to that run and helped Greeneville string together four in-a-row. McCaslin tied it at 14-14 with a kill and Aiken’s ace put Greeneville ahead 16-14. McCaslin, Bailey, and Jobe pushed the lead to 19-16 next. Manning Click served up an ace before Jobe spiked two kills into the hardwood.
The Lady Devils finished the set with kills by McCaslin and Aiken to survive with a 25-20 win and force the final set.
Gibbs began with a 2-0 lead through a block from Jadyn Parker and an ace from Addison Winton. Destani Bailey tied the score at 2-2 with a block and Leah Ford put them ahead 4-3 with a kill. Unfortunately, that was the last lead they would see. Gibbs won four-straight rallies and assumed a 7-4 lead. Kyla Jobe and Trudi Aiken got one final kill each to pull back within one, 8-7.
When it came to the very end both teams were tied 11-11. Winton was a huge factor from the service line and held Greeneville in check with two aces in the final stretch. Parker’s spike was the final blow that put an end to Greeneville’s season. Gibbs would survive to win 15-12.
They would later defeat Elizabethton 3-2 to claim the Region 1-2A championship.
Kyla Jobe, Destani Bailey, and Trudi Aiken leave the program as graduating seniors. Coach Aiken spoke about them and all the dedication they’ve given to the program.
“These three have overcome maybe more than any other seniors,” she stated. “KJ plays a lot of sports and she has to overcome the physical exhaustion and she gives it all she has. For our program to see a student-athlete like that is so valuable. Destani has overcome so many things. Her ability to set aside some of those personal obstacles and come out and play this game has been a beautiful thing to watch. Trudi loves volleyball. She’s overcome a lot too. Having older sisters and watching her follow in their first steps made it a little harder tonight.”
