The Tellico Plains volleyball team bested Brainerd on Wednesday in the first round of the District 4-A tournament.
The momentum lasted, but the winning streak didn’t for the Lady Bears in their second match of the tournament.
Tellico fell to Meigs County 3-1 on Thursday despite taking an early lead and competing well throughout the match.
“This game is not a ‘three hit and over’ game,” Tellico head volleyball coach Michelle Hamilton said. “There is so much to learn to this game. This was a young team as far as previous playing time. The girls have excelled and learned a lot about the game of volleyball this season.”
The two teams battled back and forth early with Tellico up 12-10. The Lady Bears ripped off six straight points to go up 18-11. Meigs couldn’t catch up and wound up falling 25-20 in the opening set.
“It was just nerves, I knew they would come back,” Meigs County head coach Nicole Swafford said.
The second set was a crucial one for the Lady Tigers. Again, it was a close match early with Tellico ahead 10-7. This time, however, it was Meigs that went on a run and outscored the Lady Bears 9–0.
The Lady Tigers tied the game 10-10 and then took their first second-set lead at 11-10 and continued piling on the points until they led 16-11.
Meigs continued to dominate the set to earn a 25-13 victory and to tie the match 1-1.
The third set was a battle. Tellico jumped out to a 6-3 lead, but Meigs bounced back to go up 9-8. The Lady Tigers later led 20-14 before the Lady Bears charged back to cut Meigs’ lead to 21-18.
The game got even closer later as Tellico climbed to within one point at 24-23, but the Lady Tigers swiped the final point for the 25-23 victory to go up 2-1.
While the third set was close, the fourth set was not as the Lady Tigers dominated by jumping out to a 14-3 lead. Tellico bounced back briefly, but Meigs still had a sizable 23-14 advantage.
Meigs closed out the match with the final two points to take the set 25-14. The Lady Tigers went on to win the district title with a defeat of Copper Basin.
Lady Bears look to 2020
Thursday’s loss ended the Lady Bears’ 2019 season, Hamilton’s first as head coach.
Tellico will go into the offseason with a work-based mentality.
“I feel that with some of the returning players next season and some new ones coming in that we can get Lady Bear volleyball on the map,” Hamilton said. “It takes dedication, the want to learn and the determination to work past the sweat and pain.
“I don’t like lazy. I keep telling the girls that they have to work for it. I will not give it to them because they are veteran players. I want the best on the court.”
Although the Lady Bears didn’t advance as far into the postseason as they would have liked and knowing they had the misfortune of facing the district-champion Lady Tigers in the second round, could add momentum for next year.
“The main thing is keeping a volleyball in your hands during the offseason,” Hamilton said. “This is my first year coaching the girls and I’ve made many of my own mistakes this season, but I’m proud of these girls and how much they’ve grown in this sport. There are a lot of headaches that come with coaching but I look forward to next season.
“I want to give a big shout out to my sidekick, Kristian Redrup. She has helped me on the sideline and has been my biggest cheerleader. A girl needs that.”
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