High school notes: Gate City volleyball still the gold standard

School starting back can only mean one thing — well, one thing for the sports fan in me. The fall sports season isn't far behind. For golfers, it's already here. Football, volleyball, cross country and girls soccer (in Tennessee) join the chat next week. One year after no teams from the Tri-Cities reached the TSSAA state volleyball tournament, five Northeast Tennessee teams went in 2025. One of them, Science Hill, reached the state final four while Dobyns-Bennett (Class AAA) and Sullivan East (Class AA) both returned after a few years away. And that's not accounting for the two Greene County teams that went to Murfreesboro — Chuckey-Doak and regular qualifier South Greene. Oh, and four Northeast Tennessee teams made the TSSAA girls soccer state tournament as well before Gate City did likewise in the spring. University High, making its inaugural appearance in Class A, cruised to the semifinal round before bowing out. Elizabethton and Greeneville both represented Class AA, while Science Hill (Class AAA) made its sixth trip to the big dance. When it comes to state championships, Gate City has been the gold standard for volleyball in the Tri-Cities area. The Lady Blue Devils have won six state championships in their program's history, all in the last quarter-century and each instance coming in back-to-back seasons. Another Scott County team, Rye Cove, is the area's only other volleyball program with multiple state championships. And they both came in the same calendar year — spring 2003 and fall 2003 when the VHSL moved volleyball to the fall, where girls basketball had previously been. Other than that, the 2009 Dobyns-Bennett Lady Indians and 2021 South Greene Lady Rebels are the only Northeast Tennessee teams to bring home gold from the state tournament. And who it comes to girls soccer, Dobyns-Bennett stands alone for Class AAA teams. The Lady Indians won state in 1995, something no other local team in Tennessee's largest classification has done since. Greeneville won four Class AA titles between 2015 and 2020, making the Lady Devils and D-B the only NET girls soccer teams to win it all. Should any local volleyball or girls soccer teams bring home gold in 2026, here's the company they'll be joining: VOLLEYBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Gate City — 6 (2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014) Rye Cove — 2 (spring 2003, fall 2003) Dobyns-Bennett — 1 (2009) South Greene — 1 (2021) GIRLS SOCCER STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS Dobyns-Bennett — 1 (1995) Greeneville — 4 (2015, 2016, 2019, 2020)