Lady Hilltoppers sweep scrappy West Ridge for 20th win

JOHNSON CITY — The West Ridge volleyball team made things interesting for the majority of a set, which is more than most area teams have done against Science Hill this season, but the host Hilltoppers gathered their bearings and rolled to yet another sweep Tuesday night. Chloe Conner and Lizzie Clark tallied 14 and 10 kills, respectively, and Science Hill shrugged off a slow start to record a 25-20, 25-12, 25-11 victory. The Hilltoppers improved to 5-0 in District 1-AAA and 20-2 overall, and they've dropped two sets in their 19 victories. West Ridge jumped out to leads of 15-12 and 17-13 in the opening set. But a timeout from Science Hill coach Laura Cook seemed to right the ship. "It was about cleaning up our side, limiting errors and making adjustments to what they were trying to do," said Cook, who conceded her squad might have been a bit flat and fatigued after getting back from a five-day tournament trip to Orlando on Sunday night. Science Hill advanced to the semifinals and won six of seven matches while playing teams from Texas, California, Las Vegas and Florida. The team left Johnson City at 5 a.m. on Wednesday and returned home Sunday night. A Labor Day reprieve seemed to pass in a flash before West Ridge was rolling into town. "Sometimes, I expect that after a weekend tournament," Cook said. "But we had a couple of slow starts down there that we worked through, too." Setter Lucy O'Daniel was solid against West Ridge. She had 30 assists and 14 digs for Science Hill. She wasn't overly concerned when the Wolves took a 17-13 lead in the opening set. "We all trust each other to get on a run and get back in it," O'Daniel said. "We just come in and try to play clean and take care of business. Coach is always telling us to stay – we like to stay grounded." Conner picked up Tuesday night where she left off in Orlando. She was named the team MVP for her performance in the tournament. O'Daniel said Conner is "always" locked in. Cook wasn't exactly shocked by the hot start from West Ridge. "I expected West Ridge to come out like that," she said. "They're always scrappy. They swing away. They blocked well, I thought." West Ridge fell in a 10-3 hole to start the second set, but fought back to get within 15-11. But a Bryleigh Scott tip found the court, triggering set-ending 10-1 run by the Hilltoppers. Conner scored Science Hill's final three points of the set in emphatic fashion. Kami Clark led the Wolves (3-2, 7-5) with seven kills. Adalynn Massie tallied 11 assists and Analee Horne recorded 13 digs. "We talk about how we have to come ready every single night," West Ridge coach Logan Kemp said. "Science Hill's a great team. Laura does a great job with them. They're playing at their best right now, and it takes our best to be able to go up against that." Science Hill will host David Crockett on Thursday. West Ridge will host Daniel Boone on Thursday.