On Thursday evening, September 30, the Cranberry Lady Wildcats bounced back from its loss at Avery Middle School three days earlier and rallied back for a hard-earned victory in its regular season finale at Harris Middle School in Spruce Pine. By virtue of the victory, the Lady Wildcats finished the regular season with a 6-4 record, tying them with the East Yancey Lady Panthers. The Lady Cats won a coin toss with East Yancey and earned the number two seed for the conference tournament, while the Avery Lady Panthers and its 5-5 record entered as the fourth seed.
On Saturday, October 2 the Toe River Conference crowned a tournament champion after an exciting day of volleyball action. Each of the first three matches of the tournament went a full three sets, indicative of the parity displayed by the teams throughout the regular season.
In the day’s first matchup, the No. 4 Avery Lady Panthers took on No. 5 seed Harris. Avery took the first set by a 25-16 final score, but Harris rallied to tie the match with a 25-16 win of its own. In the rubber set of the match, Avery showed its resilience and its never-say-die mentality, using a strong service game to persevere with a 25-22 win, advancing to play top seed Cane River in the semifinal round.
Avery and Cane River played a tight first set, but powerful serving by the Lady Rebels helped Cane River open a 17-11 advantage midway through the set and eventually take a 25-15 win.
In the second set of the contest, Avery won four of the first five points and went on to build a commanding 12-4 advantage. Cane River rallied with its service game to draw within 13-11 before an Avery timeout. The Lady Panthers caught its second wind after the break to go on an 8-4 scoring run, building a 21-15 lead. The Lady Rebels drew to within 23-22, but the Lady Panthers managed to close out the game with two straight points to win the set and force a third game.
Avery scored four of the first five points again in the third game to grab an early lead, but Cane River roared back with an 11-2 run to lead by a 12-6 score. After an Avery timeout, the Lady Rebels stayed hot, winning seven of the next eight points to lead 19-7. The tournament host Cane River went on to advance to the tournament finals with a decisive 25-9 victory.
Despite the tournament loss, Avery head coach Stephanie Huff was proud of her team’s effort throughout the day and the season.
“This was a good experience for our girls. They fought back and didn’t give up in the Harris game. They matured a bit as we had to switch offenses in the Cane River match. It showed a lot that they were willing to take that on and try to make that work,” Coach Huff remarked after the matches. “The girls played hard and came to work. They might have been a little tired at the end of the Cane River match, but they played with all they had to the end. I’m very proud of my girls and how they played and improved tremendously through this season.”
Meanwhile the Cranberry Lady Wildcats, the No. 2 seed, faced a tough East Yancey team who had battled through three sets to get past Bowman just to reach the semifinal.
Cranberry looked solid both offensively and defensively in its first set. In a dominating performance, the Lady Cats won seven of the first nine points, but East Yancey cut the lead to a single point at 7-6. The scrappy Cranberry group went on a 13-5 scoring run following a timeout to lead 20-11 and force an East timeout. Cranberry continued to blitz the Lady Panthers in winning by a 25-13 final score.
The second set of the match started with Cranberry winning the first six points of the game and nine of the first 11 to take a large lead. East showed resilience, however, as it cut the lead to 15-14. The teams played nip-and-tuck for much of the remainder of the match. With the pressure on, the Lady Wildcats showed an uncanny ability to keep points alive and play fundamental volleyball, as they finished off the Lady Panthers in two sets with a 25-19 win and set up a championship match with Cane River.
In the tournament finals, Cane River built an early four-point lead at 12-8, then reeled off an 8-2 scoring run for a 20-10 edge. Cranberry took time out and made a 6-2 scoring run of its own to draw within 22-16, but the Rebels tallied the game’s final three points to earn a 25-16 win in the first set.
Cane River rode the momentum of its first-set win to build an early lead in the second contest, winning six of the first seven points for a five-point lead. Cranberry took time out to try to stem the tide and regain control of the set. The move proved beneficial as the Lady Cats cut the Lady Rebel lead to 9-6 and force Cane River to stop the CMS roll.
Cranberry continued to put pressure on its opponent with key rallies and combination volleyball, drawing to tie the game at 12 points apiece.
Late in the match, Cane River made one final strong offensive push. Its strong service game and frontline height were difficult for opponents throughout the season, and the Lady Rebels used them to their advantage. Leading 15-14, the Lady Rebels finished the match with a 10-1 scoring run to close out the championship with a 25-15 final score.
Although the Lady Cats were unable to capture the tournament championship, head coach Hannah Trivett was proud of how her squad played and improved throughout the season and showed heart and determination during the tournament.
“The girls really come together and played awesome as a team. When we played Cane River it seemed like we might have tired just a little bit,” Trivett said following the tournament. “They all come out to practice and they played as a team. I told the girls that there were four other teams that wanted to be where we were in the championship game, but that it was our time. It was a great experience and it will only help our players who are coming back next season.”
After the championship match, All-Conference and All-Tournament players were announced. Cranberry players Bethany Burleson and Brandy Banner captured All-Conference honors, while Kylie Polsgrove and Raina Wiseman were named All-Conference from Avery Middle School. Polsgrove and Jodi Poore were named All-Tournament members for their strong efforts at last weekend’s tournament, while Burleson and Elizabeth Pittman earned All-Tournament honors for the tournament runner-up Lady Wildcats. The conference coaches also awarded Cranberry with the Hustle Award for its efforts throughout the tournament.
Congratulations to Cranberry and Avery for a strong middle school volleyball season
On Saturday, October 2 the Toe River Conference crowned a tournament champion after an exciting day of volleyball action. Each of the first three matches of the tournament went a full three sets, indicative of the parity displayed by the teams throughout the regular season.
In the day’s first matchup, the No. 4 Avery Lady Panthers took on No. 5 seed Harris. Avery took the first set by a 25-16 final score, but Harris rallied to tie the match with a 25-16 win of its own. In the rubber set of the match, Avery showed its resilience and its never-say-die mentality, using a strong service game to persevere with a 25-22 win, advancing to play top seed Cane River in the semifinal round.
Avery and Cane River played a tight first set, but powerful serving by the Lady Rebels helped Cane River open a 17-11 advantage midway through the set and eventually take a 25-15 win.
In the second set of the contest, Avery won four of the first five points and went on to build a commanding 12-4 advantage. Cane River rallied with its service game to draw within 13-11 before an Avery timeout. The Lady Panthers caught its second wind after the break to go on an 8-4 scoring run, building a 21-15 lead. The Lady Rebels drew to within 23-22, but the Lady Panthers managed to close out the game with two straight points to win the set and force a third game.
Avery scored four of the first five points again in the third game to grab an early lead, but Cane River roared back with an 11-2 run to lead by a 12-6 score. After an Avery timeout, the Lady Rebels stayed hot, winning seven of the next eight points to lead 19-7. The tournament host Cane River went on to advance to the tournament finals with a decisive 25-9 victory.
Despite the tournament loss, Avery head coach Stephanie Huff was proud of her team’s effort throughout the day and the season.
Meanwhile the Cranberry Lady Wildcats, the No. 2 seed, faced a tough East Yancey team who had battled through three sets to get past Bowman just to reach the semifinal.
Cranberry looked solid both offensively and defensively in its first set. In a dominating performance, the Lady Cats won seven of the first nine points, but East Yancey cut the lead to a single point at 7-6. The scrappy Cranberry group went on a 13-5 scoring run following a timeout to lead 20-11 and force an East timeout. Cranberry continued to blitz the Lady Panthers in winning by a 25-13 final score.
The second set of the match started with Cranberry winning the first six points of the game and nine of the first 11 to take a large lead. East showed resilience, however, as it cut the lead to 15-14. The teams played nip-and-tuck for much of the remainder of the match. With the pressure on, the Lady Wildcats showed an uncanny ability to keep points alive and play fundamental volleyball, as they finished off the Lady Panthers in two sets with a 25-19 win and set up a championship match with Cane River.
In the tournament finals, Cane River built an early four-point lead at 12-8, then reeled off an 8-2 scoring run for a 20-10 edge. Cranberry took time out and made a 6-2 scoring run of its own to draw within 22-16, but the Rebels tallied the game’s final three points to earn a 25-16 win in the first set.
Cane River rode the momentum of its first-set win to build an early lead in the second contest, winning six of the first seven points for a five-point lead. Cranberry took time out to try to stem the tide and regain control of the set. The move proved beneficial as the Lady Cats cut the Lady Rebel lead to 9-6 and force Cane River to stop the CMS roll.
Cranberry continued to put pressure on its opponent with key rallies and combination volleyball, drawing to tie the game at 12 points apiece.
Late in the match, Cane River made one final strong offensive push. Its strong service game and frontline height were difficult for opponents throughout the season, and the Lady Rebels used them to their advantage. Leading 15-14, the Lady Rebels finished the match with a 10-1 scoring run to close out the championship with a 25-15 final score.
Although the Lady Cats were unable to capture the tournament championship, head coach Hannah Trivett was proud of how her squad played and improved throughout the season and showed heart and determination during the tournament.
“The girls really come together and played awesome as a team. When we played Cane River it seemed like we might have tired just a little bit,” Trivett said following the tournament. “They all come out to practice and they played as a team. I told the girls that there were four other teams that wanted to be where we were in the championship game, but that it was our time. It was a great experience and it will only help our players who are coming back next season.”
After the championship match, All-Conference and All-Tournament players were announced. Cranberry players Bethany Burleson and Brandy Banner captured All-Conference honors, while Kylie Polsgrove and Raina Wiseman were named All-Conference from Avery Middle School. Polsgrove and Jodi Poore were named All-Tournament members for their strong efforts at last weekend’s tournament, while Burleson and Elizabeth Pittman earned All-Tournament honors for the tournament runner-up Lady Wildcats. The conference coaches also awarded Cranberry with the Hustle Award for its efforts throughout the tournament.
Congratulations to Cranberry and Avery for a strong middle school volleyball season
