Van Buren Overpowers Coalfield for 3A Championship

By Terry Futrell

Some call volleyball a sport, but tonight “vicious warfare” is the best way to describe the battle that took place between the Van Buren County Eaglettes and the Coalfield Lady Jackets for the District 3A championship. It was a battle not just between the two teams, but one that drew every fan in the gymnasium into the intense action taking place on the court. It was a volleyball match played at a level of performance seldom seen in Morgan County where volleyball is a relatively young sport.

Ranked one and two after the regular season, it was no surprise to see the two teams face each other for the championship. After losing twice to Van Buren in the regular season, would this be Coalfield’s night to upset the Eaglettes? It took four sets to answer that question as the Lady Jackets gave Van Buren all they could ask for, but fell short in their upset bid. After losing an impressive first set to the Lady Jackets, Van Buren held on to win the next three sets and once again took the district championship trophy home to Spencer.

The Lady Jackets came into the match on fire, clearly playing their best volleyball of the season. Coalfield took an early five-point lead at 8-3 before the Eaglettes slowly began to catch up, finally tying the score at 10-10. The determined Lady Jackets once again pulled ahead 13-11, only to see Van Buren fight back and tie the score 15-15. Again, Coalfield pulled ahead 17-15, but Van Buren refused to give up, tying the score 17-17. The Lady Jackets built a two-point lead at 20-18 when Mallory Hill stepped up to serve five straight points to give Coalfield a 25-18 win in the set.

Eaglette Coach Sarah Hickerson surmised that she aged 30 years during that first set. But, not to worry – the Eaglettes did not get their number one ranking by giving up to any team.

Van Buren came out strong in the second set and built a 6-2 lead, only to see Coalfield fight back and tie the score 7-7. The Lady Jackets then pulled ahead and led by five, 13-8, when the Eaglettes started another comeback. The score was tied 14-14, and again at 16-16 when Van Buren began to pull away, ultimately winning the set 25-20.

The Lady Jackets were also not accustomed to giving up and continued playing with intensity, taking a 3-0 lead in the third set. Van Buren tied the score 3-3 and then pulled ahead, only to see Coalfield fight back to tie at 6-6. Coalfield then built a two-point lead at 8-6, but the Eaglettes came back to tie at 8-8. From there, Van Buren continued to slowly build a lead and won the set 25-17.

Once again, the Lady Jackets fought with determination and took a 3-0 lead in the fourth set. Van Buren continued to battle and tied the score 5-5, then slowly pulled ahead to a 23-15 lead before the Lady Jackets could once again surge. Coalfield pulled within two points at 24-22, only to see Van Buren score the decisive 25^th point that gave them a 25-22 win in the set, a 3-1 match victory, and the District 3A championship for the second year in a row.

While this battle was fought without physical contact between the opposing sides, the match was characterized by contested play at the net unlike any we have seen all season. In a typical match, one might see a block or two at the net. In this match Coalfield recorded ten blocks at the net and Van Buren recorded six blocks. The actual numbers were likely much higher. Add to the contested net play the vicious way in which the ball was driven across the net by both teams, especially Lady Jackets Alexis Morrison and Taylor Landrum, and by Van Buren’s Greta Rigsby, and the court was transformed into a battlefield.

Folks are always saying that there is a winner and a loser in every game. There certainly was no loser in this match – one team achieved their goal of winning the championship and the other had to settle for second place. But, considering the level of play by both teams in the match, the term “loser” simply does not apply.

Both Van Buren and Coalfield move on to regional competition that will be held at Van Buren High School in Spencer, Tennessee, next Monday.

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