Baylor senior Elli Kinney could not be stopped during the opening day of the TSSAA state volleyball championships held at Middle Tennessee Christian School.
Set up with great passes by Sydney Sharpe, Kinney unleashed 22 kills and added 19 digs, three aces and a pair of blocks in Tuesday’s Division II-AA state quarterfinals 3-2 victory over Ensworth.
The Lady Red Raiders (34-6) picked up their seventh consecutive win and will try to secure a spot in Thursday’s state final match as they take on Briarcrest (32-6) in the semifinals at 3:30 Wednesday.
Baylor lost the first and fourth sets Tuesday, but a big block by Alia Sherrow sealed the victory in the fifth set.
“I am so proud of the team for fighting to the finish,” said Baylor coach Sarah Lail, whose program is searching for its fifth state title and first since 2017. “I thought our defense and serve receive picked up as the match progressed and Elli Kinney made sure we sealed the deal with her hits at the end.”