Senior Jane Wilson (4), shown in a match against GPS earlier this year, led Baylor’s Division II-AA victory over St. Benedict Saturday with seven kills.Staff photo by Tim BarberBaylor’s Jane Wilson (4) spikes the ball at GPS’s Reagan Long (24) during the third game at Baylor on Wednesday.TSSAA state volleyball tournament at Murfreesboro
Wednesday opening-round matches (All times EDT)* Class AAA at Middle Tennessee State: Cleveland (38-13) vs. Siegel (41-8), 10:30 a.m.* Class AA at Blackman: Dyersburg (35-11) vs. Red Bank (24-16), noon; Signal Mountain (43-8) vs. Sullivan South (32-19), 1:30* Class A at Siegel: Sale Creek (39-5) vs. Loretto (21-21), 10:30 a.m.* Division II-AA at MTSU: Baylor (43-2) vs. Father Ryan (24-17), 6
Baylor’s senior volleyball players don’t have far to think back to remember the Lady Red Raiders’ last TSSAA state championship team. They were on it.
But a lot has happened since they left Murfreesboro in 2014 with the gold trophy. Some bad, some good.
A third-place finish in Division II-AA was not what the Lady Raiders had in mind for last season. But this year they’ve stormed back and posted a 43-2 record and earned yet another trip to the state tournament.
“I think we grew up a lot, both on and off the court,” Baylor senior libero Lilly Turner said.
Baylor’s tournament opener Wednesday is at 6 p.m. EDT against Father Ryan at Middle Tennessee State’s Murphy Center. The Lady Irish won last year’s tournament, but the Lady Raiders are 2-0 against them this season.
The Division I and II tournaments will continue through Thursday and conclude with Friday’s championship matches. The Division II-AA final is scheduled at noon.
Gabby Gray, who has committed to Western Carolina, leads the Lady Raiders in kills and is second in digs. Coach Sarah Lail considers her the team’s competitive spirit on the court.
Turner, who will play at Palm Beach Atlantic next year, leads Baylor in digs. Lail calls her an all-out hustler and the heart of the team.
Jane Wilson, daughter of Baylor headmaster Scott Wilson, and Paris Buckner are first and second on the team in blocks. Lail praises Buckner for the selfless attitude she brings and said Wilson is nurturing to the rest and sets an example by doing things the right way.
“When you’ve got the competitiveness, the heart, the selflessness and the nurturing, that’s great,” Lail said. “They’ve made my job easier. They’ve taken these young girls and helped them greatly. I hope they’ve set an example for the juniors so next year they’ll continue the tradition.”
Baylor started its season by winning the highly competitive Early Bird tournament in the Knoxville area. Soon after, the Lady Raiders got word they were ranked in the MaxPreps national rankings at No. 32.
“I remember being in the car with my dad on the way home from the Early Bird tournament,” Turner said. “One of my teammates snapchatted a picture of the rankings. I was definitely excited. We were undefeated. We’d never been in the top 100.”
The Lady Raiders eventually climbed as high as No. 5 in the Xcellent 25.
They now are No. 46, one spot behind Briarcrest (43-3), which they would face in Thursday’s winners-bracket final at 12:30 at Blackman High if they beat the Lady Irish and the Saints beat Harpeth Hall.
The Honey Bears (25-6) are another team with which Baylor is familiar. Wilson said determination is one of her team’s characteristics and the regular-season match at Harpeth Hall proved it.
“I remember we were playing Harpeth Hall and we were down by a lot,” Wilson said. “We came back and we won. That just says a lot about our team. We stick together. Everbody has the same goal in mind, and that’s state.”
Four Lady Raiders had at least six kills, led by Wilson’s seven, in a 3-0 victory over St. Benedict in the sub-state match.
“Saturday was the last time we’ll play on court A,” Turner said. “The last couple of points the seniors were all looking at each other. It was bittersweet. That place is special to us. It’s where we spent all our time.”
Junior setter Sarah Sumida is among the underclassmen playing key roles this year for Baylor. She leads the Chattanooga area in assists and is second for the Lady Raiders in aces. Sophomore Ally Craig leads in aces and is second in kills.
Lail’s biggest concern is that her players remain healthy through their tournament run. Even so, Wilson said a big difference between the title team two years ago is that its bench is deeper with talent.
“A lot of people have been hyping us,” Wilson said. “We’re left with living up to the expectations. I think all we can do is just try to play Baylor volleyball, keep playing like we’ve been playing, and hope for the best. After what happened last year, we know not to go in too overconfident.”
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter@KelleySmiddie.