Lady Toppers reverse sweep their way to state semis, other local teams fall at state

MURFREESBORO — Science Hill volleyball coach Laura Cook would be hard pressed to find a more satisfying reverse sweep in her career, as a player or a coach. The Lady Hilltoppers just kept staying alive in Tuesday's TSSAA Class AAA state quarterfinal round. As a result, their ultimate goal is very much alive. And there will be a new state champion in Class AAA as Science Hill rallied past defending champion Summit 20-25, 25-27, 25-19, 25-21, 16-14 at Siegel High School. "We came here expecting good competition and that's what we got," senior Clara McBride said. "It doesn't matter if we're down 2-0. There are still three more sets to play and we showed we were ready." Did they ever. Science Hill (42-4) never trailed again in the third set after going on a 5-0 run to take a 15-11 lead. Kills by Lucy O'Daniel, Sofia Pavlovich and Chloe Conner ended the set and began the rally. Bryleigh Scott's kill and an Isa Dau service ace put Science Hill up in the fourth set, before Summit (24-17) rallied to take a 20-18 lead. The Lady Toppers responded with five straight points to end the frame, including Conner's ace before Scott logged a kill and a set-point block. "We just all got together and we were like, 'we've been training for this situation and we want it,'" Conner said. "We wanted it so bad. It just all came together." The Lady Spartans held a 14-13 advantage in the fifth set, but once again, Science Hill wouldn't fold. Conner's 15th and final kill moved the Lady Toppers to match point, where Scott elevated and blocked the ball straight down for the victory. "I'm a big hitter so I was like, 'I can go get this ball, but also, I need to be smart about this. It's a really big play,'" Scott recalled. "I decided to be smart and I used two hands to get it down." Good decision, aligning with Science Hill's team-first approach. Conner and McBride both had 15 kills to lead the offense, Conner also netting seven digs while matching Dau and O'Daniel with three service aces. Scott, who blocked four attacks, hammered 12 kills with Lizzie Clark adding nine and Pavlovich seven. O'Daniel dished out 52 assists to go with her eight digs. Dau (25), Claire Lamb (15) and Kaitlyn Wallace (12) led the way in digs. "It really showed our grit and determination to just push through and get through any obstacle that's put in front of us," Dau said. "I'm just so proud of us to get through the first two sets and still fight as hard as we did … 22 (Florida Gulf Coast commit Everleigh Deshazo) is a really good hitter for them." Not surprisingly given the close proximity to Spring Hill, the Lady Hilltoppers also overcame Summit's student section which filled up roughly one-third of the bleachers. A victory over Oakland in Wednesday's semifinal round would move Science Hill into the state championship game for the first time in program history. "Just the sheer will that they were going to do it, you could tell it clicked. I enjoyed watching that," Cook said. "This team, they've done a good job all year of lifting each other up, playing for the person next to them. It's a testament to the hard work they've put in this whole season." The Lady Hilltoppers face Oakland at 10:30 a.m. Eastern in the Class AAA semifinals. Franklin 3, Dobyns-Bennett 0 Dobyns-Bennett coach Katie Helvey couldn't be disappointed, no matter the outcome. The Lady Indians, youthful in several spots, eventually settled in against the state's top-ranked team before Franklin took a 25-16, 25-18, 25-23 victory in the Class AAA quarterfinals. Franklin (31-1) still has yet to lose to a Tennessee team this season. The Lady Indians (28-12) stayed within striking distance in the second set before the Lady Admirals went on a 7-1 run to get to set point, where Emerson Garner's tip gave Franklin a 2-0 lead. D-B actually led most of the third set, Reese Hatcher's ace making it 7-4 early. Jeslyn Harden twice rallied the Lady Indians with a kill, before kills by Hatcher and Norah Shook gave D-B a 23-21 lead. But Franklin wouldn't be denied. "They're a fabulous team," Helvey said of the Lady Admirals. "I'm proud of our girls. At one point, I looked at my bench and said we have three sophomores right there in that front row. For us to be so young, and it's a brand new team, for these girls to come in and take the No. 1 team in the state to 23-25, I hate we lost but I'm proud of the way we battled." Helvey also praised Madison Sykes for her efforts, citing her visible ankle bruise following the match after she'd returned from injury. Shook had a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs. Harden slammed 12 kills and blocked two attacks. Hatcher dished out 30 assists with eight digs and two aces, while Milly Williams tallied 11 digs. D-B faces Arlington or Bradley Central in the consolation bracket at 6 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. Class AA Hume-Fogg 3, Sullivan East 0 Hume-Fogg (18-6) exposed the Lady Patriots' youth in Tuesday's Class AA state quarterfinal round at Blackman High School, advancing with a 25-14, 27-25, 25-20 win over East. East (30-8) trailed multiple times in the second set but rallied to take the lead on Bella Pickering's ace. Kills by Audrey Easley and Makayla Moore kept the Lady Patriots even at 25, before Anna Eckert served an ace on set point. The Lady Patriots couldn't maintain their 3-1 lead in to start the third set. ""We're a young team, so I'm not sure if it was the nerves that got to them … sometimes you just have off days," East coach Brittany Scott said. "I thought today we really didn't play our game. Not taking anything away from (Hume-Fogg). They're a good team. They have hitters, they hustle, they're a good team." Moore led East with 13 kills and four digs. Easley had six kills, and Fisher handed out 22 assists. Pickering and Easley both served two aces, the former also recording a team-high nine digs. East takes on Signal Mountain in the consolation bracket at 6 p.m. Eastern. Upperman 3, Elizabethton 0 Upperman (32-6) gave the Lady Cyclones an example of what it takes to advance in the TSSAA state tournament. Making its historic first appearance in Murfreesboro, Elizabethton (20-13) came up short in Tuesday's Class AA quarterfinal 25-14, 25-17, 25-20. Elizabethton faces Crockett County in the consolation bracket at 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. In Class A, South Greene fell to Summertown in straight sets 25-14, 25-18, 25-22 and will face Bledsoe County at 6 p.m. Eastern.