The tougher the better.
Saturday, the Elizabethton High School volleyball squad competed with some larger schools during the Mountain Empire Tournament at Science Hill High School with mixed results.
“It was a great opportunity to play against some larger schools with great competition,” EHS coach Leslee Bradley said.
The Lady Cyclones started the tournament rolling, defeating both South Doyle (25-14, 25-15) and Daniel Boone (25-21, 25-22).
The momentum, however, started to slow as the Lady Cyclones dropped their next two matches to East Hamilton (20-25, 18-25) and Morristown West (18-25, 15-25).
“I was really pleased with our effort and focus early in the day,” Bradley said. “I think as the day wore on, that the big week we had last week caught up with us a little bit.”
Last week, the Lady Cyclones played two conference match-ups against Sullivan South and Sullivan East, the first and second-place teams in the Three Rivers Conference. On Tuesday, EHS gave the conference front runners, Sullivan South, a run for their money, but eventually dropped the match 3-1.
On Thursday, ’Betsy pulled off a first as they defeated the Lady Patriots for first time ever in a conference match. And they did it in style, winning 3-0.
On Saturday, the Lady Cyclones were led offensively by Madyson Smith, who slammed 19 kills on the day, while recording 28 assists. Defensively, Sarah Slagle led the way with 27 digs. Slagle also had 12 kills. Chloe Hambrick finished the day with 17 kills.
The Lady Cyclones are now 15-14 on the season and 4-4 in the conference. This evening, the Lady Cyclones will have a chance to better their TRC record as they host the Unicoi Lady Blue Devils, before wrapping up the regular season with a senior-night romp with the Johnson County Lady Longhorns on Thursday.