Staff Photo by Meghan Brown
Soddy-Daisy High School's Andrea Johnson bumps the ball in Tuesday's game against East Ridge High School.

After weeks of practices, scrimmages and playdates, five Soddy-Daisy seniors finally got to start their final high school volleyball season Tuesday.

A 3-0 win over host East Ridge provided the kind of beginning that libero Abbey Thaxton and her teammates were hoping to achieve.

“We’ve been working really hard,” Thaxton said. “It was nerve-racking, but we pulled it together and did pretty well. It was exciting.”

The Lady Trojans fought off their nerves — and an East Ridge rally — to seal a 25-23 win in game one with a kill and an ace from Andrea Johnson.

“I think we got our first-game jitters out of the way,” Soddy-Daisy coach Lorri Johnson said. “I’ve been preaching to them that we’ve got to get consistent, but it’s not there yet.”

The teams battled throughout the first half of game two, but a combination of tough hits from Soddy-Daisy and a series of miscues from East Ridge led to 14 straight points for the Lady Trojans. Their 25-11 win was one of several things that displeased East Ridge coach Catherine Neely.

“I was disappointed,” said Neely, who returned five starters this season. “It was a reflection of our practicing. They haven’t been very intense or willing to work hard. I’ve been warning them that this was going to happen, and it did. But hopefully this will be a stepping stone for them to build on. We have too many experienced people to let this happen.”

Soddy-Daisy continued its run with five straight points to open game three before the Lady Pioneers fought back. East Ridge was within 18-16, but the Lady Trojans used another 5-0 run to close a 25-17 win.

Thaxton finished with 13 digs, while Savannah Hartman led Soddy-Daisy with 15. Andrea Johnson totaled 14 kills, nine assists and three aces, and Shelby Garrin made 16 assists and four aces. Ashlee England added nine kills and three aces for a Lady Trojans team that has high expectations for the season.

“Soddy-Daisy hasn’t won a title in I don’t know how long, but we expect to be in the mix,” Coach Johnson said. “We’ve seen the best teams (in the preseason) and we’re competing, but we’ve got to learn how to finish. We’re trying to get to the next level, and I think the seniors are going to help us get there.”