PIKEVILLE, Tenn. — Sale Creek High School volleyball coach Erin Briner hopes the program’s 13th district championship in a row is just the start of great postseason success.
The Lady Panthers were at full force in Tuesday’s sweep over District 6-A tournament host Bledsoe County as junior McKenzie Parks led a first set-comeback as she picked up five of her eight kills to go with four of her five aces.
Meanwhile, Enslee Norwood was set often by freshman Karma Higgins — who won the tournament MVP award — as Norwood hammered 12 kills over the final two sets.
Dominating the district has come to be the expectation for the Lady Panthers (34-5), who hope they are on the way to the program’s first Class A state title this season. After all, Sale Creek has the area’s longest active state tournament appearance run at six straight seasons.
“Every year we come into the season focused on making a run at state,” said the sophomore Norwood. “We expect to be really good in the district and we are held to a very high standard. Playing volleyball for this program is really fun because of that. I am excited to see how the postseason goes because we really have a great bond and a shot to win state.”
Sale Creek fought back with a breeze from an early 6-2 deficit in the district championship match as Briner’s squad did not flinch.
Junior Ava Higgins continued her dominant season with 14 kills, which puts her up to 450 on the season. Higgins’ ability to hit from anywhere on the court stood out as Bledsoe’s defense could not find answers to her strong swing.
With the toughness of this year’s regular season schedule, which has included trips to loaded tournaments in Knoxville and Gatlinburg, the Lady Panthers feel as if they are ready for any opponent.
One of their losses this season came in a 3-2 thriller against Boyd Buchanan, which had to come back from a 2-1 deficit. Boyd has won 24 straight matches and is one of the state favorites in Division II-AA at 26-2 overall.
“We have showed up and played really well against some tough teams,” Coach Briner said. “That has really prepared us to be where we are now. The girls on this team really love each other and the team chemistry and talent is there. They started working for this moment last spring when they were in the gym working on their verticals.”
Added big-hitter Norwood, “We have tons of skill around the court, especially for a Single A school. We all are a family out there and we are motivated to go all the way.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.