WASHBURN – It was a long and winding journey to Washburn on Tuesday night, a trip emblematic of South Greene’s volleyball season that has been anything but smooth.
They Lady Rebels have only played at home twice this season after a fire broke out in the school’s gym. Members of the community have been ravaged by flooding from Hurricane Helene. Injuries have mixed up the lineup throughout the year, and wins have been as hard to find as they ever have been at South Greene. But despite all that South Greene is back on top Region 1-A after a 3-0 win over West Greene (25-9, 25-17, 25-23).
“I’m just elated for the girls. They’ve had so much adversity throughout the season,” South Greene coach Stephen Gregg said. “We’ve only played two home games all year. Now we have earned the chance to host a substate game, but it won’t be in our gym. The girls played with great intensity today. The first set was electrifying, and the crowd got into it. Then my hats off to West Greene, they clawed back in it in the third set. We just made enough plays down the stretch to hold them off.”
Tuesday’s win marks the 17th time in the last 18 years that the Lady Rebels have won the region championship. Both South Greene and West Greene advance to Thursday’s state sectionals. South Greene will host Chattanooga School of Liberal Arts with a chance to advance to the state tournament for the 16th consecutive season. The site for the game has not been determined yet because South Greene still can not play in its home gym.
West Greene is in the state sectionals for the first time since 2007 and will be playing for a chance to make the state tournament for the first time since 2000. The Lady Buffaloes will travel to Chattanooga School of Arts and Science on Thursday for the state sectionals.
“I’m super proud of these girls for getting this far,” West Greene coach Raven Borie said. “It is an accomplishment. But I have such high expectations for them because I know what they are capable of. They have more in them, if they will do the things I know they can do. We are going to have play more consistent and get out of our heads to be able to have success on Thursday.”
The Lady Rebels started fast in the championship match and jumped in front 5-1 from the start. Sadie Trammell got the run started with a kill from the right side and Davanie Tarlton followed it with a block. Trammell followed with a pair of aces before a block by Cassidy Hill stopped the Lady Rebels run.
Trammell played a bigger role on Tuesday after another injury changed South Greene’s lineup. She filled in for Ryleigh Gregg who injured her knee in last week’s district championship game.
“I slid Saddie into Ryleigh’s spot, and she is as consistent of a player as we have,” Gregg said. “I can’t brag enough about her play. We haven’t been able to have a true core out there all year. We showed it a little bit at North Greene last week, but then we lost Ryleigh. We’ve had different girls step up all year and they have been willing to do whatever I asked. Tonight was the first time we have played this lineup, but we just hope they continue to play with this excitement on Thursday night.”
South Greene’s lead really began to grow when Addison Compton stepped to the service line and immediately delivered a pair of aces. Compton sent over 11 consecutive serves and West Greene struggled to play all of them as she collected three more aces in a run that also included four kills from Tarlton.
“Addison was in a groove and she was feeling it,” Gregg said. “She put some extra top on the ball and she was mixing her spots up. She started by finding a couple of seams and that got her confidence going.”
The first set ended with South Greene on top 25-9.
West Greene started the second set by taking a 3-0 lead after Journey Lamons and Hill landed kills. South Greene evened the score at 5-5 when Whitney Reaves got an ace to fall.
The set stayed within one point until a rotation error by the Lady Buffs put South Greene in front 10-8. With Trammell serving Baylee Jennings and Tarlton put down kills as the Lady Rebels lead grew to 15-10.
In the closing stretch of the 25-17 South Greene win Jennings pushed one deep to the back line, Trammell landed a kill and Compton put down an ace. Reaves finished the set with a swing from the left side that the Lady Buffs played into the antenna.
The third set stayed close through the early portion, but West Greene was able to find the first breathing room at 8-5 after Addison Peters and Hill scored on kills and Morgan Moody beat the block with a tip.
Tarlton evened the scored at 9-9 with a powerful kill and she gave South Greene the lead at 10-9 with an ace.
The lead went back and forth to the finish. Two aces by Peters put West Greene up 14-13, then a tip by Tarlton gave South Greene the lead at 16-15.
Hill rolled a swing down the net for a 17-16 West Greene lead, but that was West Greene’s last lead.
Jennings smartly pushed a ball deep to the back line to put South Greene in front 21-20, but then Aleea Aiken answered with a tricky dump on the next play.
The final points all came after long volleys with both back lines fighting to keep every play alive.
“We have to be able to win the scrappy points, and the girls did that late in the third set,” Gregg said. “If it’s going to be a 40-ball rally we are going to figure out how to get that 40th ball down. That can be demoralizing for the other team, to expend all that energy and lose the point. These are buying in to winning those dirty points.
The Lady Rebels kept calling on Tarlton to close the game, and the senior produced on her way to being named tournament MVP. First, she snuck a tip around the Lady Buffs’ double block. She then landed a kill from the right side before she finished the night with a slam from the middle.
“I can’t brag on the back line enough. They were getting the ball to Addison and not running her to death. That allowed Addison and Davanie to connect. We look for Davanie to terminate the ball, and she put her cape on and made some plays for us tonight,” Gregg said.
In addition to Tarlton’s MVP honors South Greene’s Jennings, Compton, Reaves and Faith Baughard were named to the All-Region Tournament team. West Greene’s Peters, Hill and Morgan Brown were also named All-Region.
Thursday started with South Greene making quick work of Eagleton in the semifinals with a 3-0 sweep, 25-7, 25-9, 25-8. In the other semifinal West Greene beat host Washburn 3-1, 25-13, 25-27, 25-13, 25-20.
