A straight-set victory vs. Bearden ‘Ads’ to hot stretch
As district volleyball tournaments loom starting next week, Thursday night’s District 4-AAA match between longtime rivals Farragut High School and Bearden High School was a major test for both.
In FHS’s Lynn E. Sexton Gymnasium, the Lady Admirals convincingly won the best-of-five match in straight sets Sept. 26. The scores of the first two sets were 25-19; the third was 25-22.
Improving to 18-2 overall, 6-1 in district, Farragut locked up the 4-AAA regular season crown and district tourney No. 1 seed.
“I told the girls ‘don’t let the moment be bigger than it is,’” FHS head coach Andre Alves said. “‘Don’t play nervous, be aggressive, not reckless.’ We had a good game plan.”
The Lady Admirals jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the first set, and then traded brief scoring runs after that. The closest the Lady Bulldogs got the rest of the way was 2, at 16-14.
In the second set, Bearden led 10-5 and appeared to be on its way to tying the match at a set apiece. The momentum wouldn’t last long.
Four in a row by FHS, as part of a 9-2 run, made it 14-12 Lady Admirals. Bearden tied it at 14, but Farragut then scored nine of the next 13 points to lead 23-18 and closed it out from there.
The match-clinching third set was back and forth from the outset. At 15-all, Farragut won eight of the next 11 points to lead 23-18. Four in a row by the Lady Dawgs cut it to one, but the Blue and Gray Girls finished it off with the final two points.
“We put a game plan together and executed,” Alves said.
Bearden head coach Kaitlyn Drew is eager for a rematch in the district tournament, which starts Monday, Oct. 7. Thursday’s match was the Lady Bulldogs’ first district loss (19-8 overall, 6-1 in 4-AAA).
“Farragut was on tonight; we didn’t have our best night tonight,” Drew said. “Can’t wait to see ‘em again.”
The Lady Admirals were led, as usual, in kills by their senior outside hitters: Trinity Rye with 21 and Elsa Morrison with 13. Junior setter Bella Ekeler led by far in assists with 34.
Rye and Ekeler led the team with 10 digs apiece; Teagan Williams had nine. Rye led the team with four aces.
“I think we all came in with just a really competitive mindset,” Rye said. “Now we’re in their heads.”
“(Bearden) is a really good team,” Alves said. “A lot of firepower. I’m extremely proud of how we played tonight.”
The 4-AAA Tournament’s first two nights are at Maryville High School, then the final two — Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 9-10 — are at Bearden.
