For the second Tuesday in a row, Red Bank's volleyball team hoisted a championship plaque after a 3-0 sweep of longtime rival Hixson. This time, it was for the Region 3-AA title on the Lady Lions' home floor with set scores of 25-13, 25-19, 25-23.
Both teams advance to state sectionals. "I'm proud to tears," first-year Red Bank coach Savannah Nelson said. "For them to play like I've wanted to all year, and to do it two weeks in a row, we're staying consistent. That makes me happy. Having that team chemistry, and playing as a team in the postseason, is extremely important."
The Lady Lions took control in the first set with three separate six-point runs and carried that momentum into the second set, building a 9-2 lead after eight consecutive serves by Maris Reynolds. She also was at the line for one of the six-point runs in the opener.
Hixson coach Janet Tate took a timeout to try and bring her team back to life, and the Lady Wildcats eventually responded by improving their score from the first set by six and then pouncing in the third set.
With the title on the line, Hixson took a 7-1 lead in the third set with Dakota Rawiszer dealing damage from the service line. The visitors held an eight-point lead as late as 16-8, and now it was Red Bank's turn to find a way to claw back.
"I told them, 'You can do it. You can do it. Don't give them the momentum and the confidence,'" Nelson said. "We weren't passing the ball, and we just had to get out of it, so I kept going up and down the sideline trying to give them that positive reinforcement."
Hannah Wood's kill gave Red Bank its first lead of the set at 22-21, and a Hixson error made it 23-21 before Courtney Jones racked up a kill and an ace to knot the score at 23.
Marjorie Smith responded with a kill and an ace of her own to give Red Bank the title.
"It's always nice to fight back," Tate said. "I would have liked to have won it for the girls because they've worked so hard. You have to have the strong will. I don't know for sure, but we will probably see Signal Mountain, and you have to have resilience against teams like that."
Tate said ball control and an aggressive service game will be key for Hixson, who was paced by Jones' eight kills and nine digs to go with two aces. Samantha Dove added 14 assists and Rachel Cline shone on defense with 12 digs.
Wood brought a strong balance to Red Bank's side with 13 kills, 13 assists and 10 digs. Smith added 14 kills and Shelby Romans also had 13 digs.
Lady Eagles win
Signal Mountain won the Region 4-AA title Tuesday by defeating host Upperman 3-0. Set scores were 25-14, 27-25, 25-13.
The Lady Eagles advanced to the final by beating Central Magnet 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-10). Notre Dame was eliminated by Upperman 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-23).
Signal Mountain (42-8) will host Hixson on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a state sectional. Red Bank will play at Upperman at 8 EDT.
Maia Rackel had a combined 27 kills and 10 blocks in the Lady Eagles' two wins. Sidney Lapinski had 32 assists and Kate Barry had 31. The digs leader was Elaine Redman with 30. "The first match we blocked really well," Signal Mountain coach Jennifer Redman said. "The second match our defense was really good."
The Lady Eagles were in control all night with the exception of the second set in the final.
"We kept going at them," Redman said. "We didn't let up. We kept moving it to our hitters and they kept hitting them down."