On Friday, October 9th, the West Greene Lady Buffs volleyball team completed the 2026 season
with a third State Championship in four years. There are 216 Class A volleyball teams in Tennessee,
and West Greene came out on top of them all. After winning the State Championship last season, the
Lady Buffs had some serious rebuilding to accomplish, as they lost nine of twelve players. As shown
over previous seasons, however, the West Greene coaches and players reloaded. The Lady Buffs’
accolades this season include a 36-2 record and 72-6 in sets played. Their only two losses on the
season were to Class AA volleyball teams who finished 2nd and 4th at the State Tournament. During
their 38 matches, the Lady Buffs had 1,877 serves, with only 175 serving errors, good for a 90.1% serving
percentage. As far as hitting, the Lady Buffs had 1,987 hits, with only 313 hitting errors, good for an
84.2% hitting percentage.
At the TMSAA State Tournament, the Lady Buffs won all five matches and were 10-1 in sets
played. The one set that they lost, in the State Championship Game, was only the second set that they
lost all season to a Class A team. In the first round of pool play on Thursday, the Lady Buffs defeated
Wartburg Central 25-8, 25-23. The second-round matchup saw West Greene defeat Northview-Newbern
25-10, 25-6. In the third and final pool play match, the Lady Buffs defeated University Middle School-
Memphis 25-10, 25-14. Those three victories in pool play sent the Lady Buffs into the gold bracket to be
played on Friday for a chance to win their third State Championship.
Their first opponent on Friday was Sale Creek, and the Lady Buffs were victorious by 25-15, 25-
15 scores. That win sent West Greene into the State Championship Game where they would again face
Wartburg Central. The Lady Buffs jumped on their opponent early and never let up in the first set,
winning 25-6. What seemed like a sure State Championship was not the case as Wartburg Central did not
go down without a fight. Wartburg Central would give West Greene their only lost set, 25-19, sending
the championship into a third and decisive set. The Lady Buffs regrouped and started the third set on an
11-2 run. With the third set only going to 15, the Lady Buffs were primed to hoist their third
championship trophy. However, Wartburg Central once again wasn’t leaving without a fight. They
responded with a 10-2 run of their own to cut the lead to 13-12. After a West Greene timeout, the Lady
Buffs broke serve to take a 14-12 lead. They went on to end the match on the next point, winning 15-12.
The West Greene Lady Buffs have been building a middle school volleyball dynasty. The TMSAA
has hosted a Middle School State Volleyball Tournament for four years. West Greene Middle School is
the only school in Class A or Class AA to advance to all four State Tournaments. In those four seasons,
the Lady Buffs have played in all four championship games, winning three State Championship trophies
and one runner-up trophy. Their record over those four seasons is an astounding 123-12 (91.1%). Of
those 12 losses, only five are to fellow Class A schools, as the West Greene coaching staff consistently
decides to play Class AA schools in non-conference matches along with playing in-season tournaments
versus bigger schools. Also, over the past four State Tournament appearances, the Lady Buffs have a 17-3
(85.0%) record versus the best teams in the state. Over the past two State Tournaments, the West
Greene Lady Buffs are 10-0 in matches and 20-1 in sets played.
Keys to the Lady Buffs’ successful run is a great coaching staff who excels in off-season
conditioning, in-season practices, and in-game coaching adjustments. Along with that are players who
buy into the coaching, accept their role, work hard in and out of season, and give all they have every set.
Then, the fan support, which was evident by the hundred plus fans who made the four-hour trip to
Murfreesboro to cheer with all they had. The future is also looking bright for the middle school. This
year’s team only had three 8th graders and the JV team also went undefeated in district play and
finished 16-2 overall. The JV Lady Buffs’ only losses were playing in the West Ridge Varsity Tournament
where they went 3-2 versus varsity teams.
West Greene Middle School is coached by Gavin Brown, Erica Williams, and Tiffany Shelton. Team
members include:
8th Graders: Cora Podraza, Anslee Shelton, and Mackenzie Stewart
7th Graders: Cambrie Brown, Everlee Carpenter, Caroline Gray, Mckee Greenlee, Kaylie Johnson, Tessa
Shelton, Avery Stepp, and Kendall Stills
6th Grader: Jesse Douthat
