By Owen Whitsett
Coffee County Central volleyball took one set from Tullahoma Tuesday night, but the Lady Wildcats came away with a 3-1 win over the Lady Raiders on Senior Night in Manchester.
Tullahoma won the opening set 25-20 before Coffee County answered emphatically with a 25-14 win in the second. The Lady Wildcats then rallied late to steal the third set 26-24 before closing the match with a 25-23 victory in the fourth.
The opening set went back and forth early. Kills from Hayleigh Harris, Cara Newlin and Danni Hillis helped Coffee County stay in front during stretches of the early going, while a Paisley Dyer block gave the Lady Raiders a 10-8 advantage.
Coffee County led 11-8 before Tullahoma battled back to tie the set at 12. Harris answered to even things again at 13-13, but the Lady Wildcats responded with a run that eventually put them ahead 18-13.
Coffee County cut the deficit to 18-16 but could not completely erase it. Tullahoma maintained control down the stretch to take the opening set 25-20.
The second set was Coffee County’s best of the night.
The Lady Raiders jumped on Tullahoma early behind an ace from Harris and kills from Newlin and Addy Wild. An Andon Selvog ace helped Coffee County build a 14-6 advantage and force a Tullahoma timeout.
Coffee County continued to pull away. A Newlin kill made it 16-9 before a Jenslee Nogodula ace extended the lead to 19-9. Hillis and Isabelle Saner helped keep the pressure on, and kills from Wild and Harris helped finish off a dominant 25-14 set to even the match at one apiece.
The third set proved to be the turning point.
After falling behind 4-1, Coffee County responded to tie the set at 4-4 and eventually took control. Hillis and Wild were among those making plays as the Lady Raiders built leads of 14-10 and 20-16.
Coffee County appeared to be closing in on a 2-1 match lead when a Cailey Sturgill kill helped push the advantage to 23-18.
But the Lady Wildcats refused to go away.
Tullahoma fought back to 23-21 before Coffee County reached set point at 24-22. The Lady Wildcats erased both opportunities, tied the set at 24 and scored the final two points to stun Coffee County 26-24 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Coffee County again started well in the fourth.
Harris provided a kill and an ace during an early run that put the Lady Raiders ahead 4-1. Hillis added a kill for a 7-5 lead, and Harris continued producing at the net as Coffee County pushed its advantage to 12-9.
The Lady Raiders led 15-10 before Tullahoma began chipping away. The Lady Wildcats eventually tied the set at 16-16 and then scored four straight to take a 20-16 advantage.
Coffee County had one more response, battling all the way back to tie the set at 20.
Tullahoma answered immediately out of a timeout, scoring the next two points for a 22-20 lead. Coffee County remained within striking distance and cut the deficit to 24-23, but the Lady Wildcats scored the final point to take the set 25-23 and the match 3-1.
Harris and Hillis led much of Coffee County’s attack throughout the night with several kills and aces between them, while Wild provided a strong presence at the net with multiple blocks.
Tullahoma received contributions throughout its lineup. Gabbi Gardner consistently caused problems for the Lady Raider defense, while Emily Bell and Avanley Metcalf used their size at the net to challenge Coffee County’s attack. Genia Stephens also kept numerous points alive in the back row and made it difficult for the Lady Raiders to put the ball away.
Tuesday’s result splits the regular-season meetings between the rivals. Coffee County won the first matchup in five sets at Tullahoma on Sept. 3 before the Lady Wildcats returned the favor with a four-set victory in Manchester on Senior Night.
