Surviving 4-AAA scare from Heritage, HVA volleyball favored to reach substate Oct. 12
Rallying to win the match with dominant game four and game five efforts, HVA (26-10 entering this week) secured second place in the tourney and earned a berth in this week’s Region 2-AAA tournament at Clinton, District 3-AAA champ, Tuesday, Oct. 10 (after deadline).
Losing to top-seeded Maryville (34-11) in the district title match in four games, which included a 26-24 setback in set No. 3 after winning the second set 25-20, Hardin Valley looked to reach the Sectional round against a top team from Upper East Tennessee Thursday, Oct. 12.
The Lady Hawks would have to beat Clinton to reach the substate, then likely face a rematch with Maryville in the region finals.
A region title would give Hardin Valley a home match against the Region 1-AAA runner-up Oct. 12. State Tournament play runs Tuesday through Friday, Oct. 17-20, at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
District tourney
Falling behind Heritage by losing game two 25-18 and game three 25-21, the Lady Hawks won going away in game four, 25-11, then breezed to a 15-6 fifth set win to keep its season alive while ensuring no worse than a runner-up finish led by outside hitter Tinsley Brown, regular season 4-AAA co-MVP plus an All-District First Team honoree who has more than 1,000 career kills,
HVA setter Annah Cate Hyatt, with more than 2,000 career assists. also was an All-tourney selection
“We wanted it so bad,” Hyatt said about staying alive and rallying past Heritage.
Tinley and Hyatt “have been the heart of this team for four years now,” Waller said.
Maryville defeated HVA in the tourney title match led by regular season co-MVP Kiernan Stamey, an outside hitter who also was named 4-AAA tourney MVP.
Also earning All-4-AAA tourney honors was Farragut’s Elsa Morrison, a junior outside hitter who led her Lady Ads, No. 4 seed, to an upset tourney victory against rival and No. 3 seed Bearden after FHS lost the first two games.
