Lady Cyclones sweep Greeneville for sectional berth
Published 11:58 pm Tuesday, October 10, 2017
For the second time in three years, the Elizabethton Lady Cyclones are heading to a TSSAA Class AA Sectional after rolling past Greeneville, 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 30-28), during the Region1-2A semifinals at Sullivan South High School.
“You come into that elimination round, and it’s do or die,” said Elizabethton head coach Leslee Bradley. “That is really the priority for tonight. Since districts last week, that is all that we have talked about. I am really just pleased that we were able to get the job done tonight, 3-0.”
After dropping the region championship match, also played Tuesday night, to Sullivan South, 3-1, the Lady Cyclones are the Region 1-AA runner-ups and will travel to the Region 2-AA champions Thursday. The winner of that match will advance on to the Class AA State Tournament. Lady Cyclones
“I remember how this felt three years ago,” Bradley said about when Elizabethton traveled to Knox Catholic in 2015 for a state sectional contest. “We were just overwhelmed with the excitement and ‘aww’ at the moment. This time around it was just more of a determination.”
Along Elizabethton’s Sydney Goodsell and Cassidee Ray, this will be senior Mary Beth Biggs second sectional match, and she said the opportunity is made even more special since it is her last season with the Lady Cyclones.
“We have always dreamed to go our senior year,” said Biggs. “It gives me chills that we were able to accomplish that. We are going to go down and play our best.”
During the Lady Cyclones win over Greeneville, Biggs recorded her 1,000th dig on the season.
“It is great to be able to accomplish that my senior year,” said Biggs. “My sophomore year and junior year I went from 400 and 500 digs those two seasons to 1,000 this year. That is a pretty big jump, and it feels really great.”
Goodsell and Cassidee Ray led the Lady Cyclones in kills against Greeneville with 13 and 12, respectively. The two’s performances garnered them selections to the Region 1-AA All-Tournament Team.
“Cassidee is just so smart with the placement of the ball,” said Bradley. “In a couple of the games against Greeneville, she had the last point. She is just so good at finding those open holes. She is swinging better and better all of the time.
“Sydney just does everything for us,” Bradley added. “Tonight she played good clean volleyball.”
Lady Cyclones senior Emilee Nanney and sophomore Morgan Smith both had 5 kills against the Lady Greene Devils, while teammates Hannah Boster and Brittany Kitchens finished with 3 each.
Biggs finished with 33 digs against Greeneville while Goodsell and Smith had 14 and 10, respectively. Elizabethton’s Deanna Hull finished with 8 digs.
Smith also had 2 aces on the against Greeneville.
