CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Cleveland’s Lady Raiders were riding high at one point this high school volleyball season before getting themselves into a bit of a jam. But who better than themselves to get them out of that mess, which they did Thursday night.
It wasn’t as easy as a 3-0 score indicates, but the Lady Raiders defeated Ooltewah in a pivotal District 5-AAA match and regained control of outright first place in the district. Set scores were 25-22, 25-23, 25-20.
Cleveland (19-8, 9-1) and Ooltewah (24-11, 9-2) came into the match tied in the loss column with the Lady Raiders having won at Ooltewah on Sept. 6. However, the Lady Owls got back into the race after Walker Valley won 3-2 at Cleveland on Sept. 15.
“After the Walker Valley loss we kind of changed our mentality,” Cleveland coach Trish Flowers said. “Our goal now is just win the game. At this point in the season, we can’t focus on whether we win 3-0 or win by big points. We’re just looking to win, whatever it takes.”
The Lady Raiders haven’t clinched anything. But now they are in position to win the regular-season championship and gain the top seeding for the district tournament, provided they win their remaining league matches against East Hamilton and Bradley Central – teams they beat in earlier meetings.