Coalfield Escapes with Volleyball Victory over Harriman 3-1

By Terry Futrell

As the second-ranked team in District 3A, the Coalfield Lady Jackets were expected to overwhelm the Lady Devils from Harriman in volleyball Tuesday evening, but the Lady Devils failed to get the message. In a match that was much closer than the scores indicated, Coalfield was fortunate to survive the Lady Devils attack and won the match 3-1.

Slow-starting Harriman has been at a disadvantage all season. With Roane County Schools beginning the year much later than Morgan County, the Lady Devils had only five practices before their first match of the season. But Harriman continues to make significant progress, as was evident during Tuesday’s match. The first set was much as one would expect with the Lady Jackets dominating. Coalfield led 10-7 when Chastin Henry stepped up to serve 10 consecutive points to give the Lady Jackets a 20-7 lead. Harriman could not recover, and Coalfield won the set 25-10.

At this point, things got interesting – Coalfield’s Alexis Morrison, a power spiker at the net, was absent and Coach Jessica Lowe experimented with the Lady Jacket lineup. On the other side of the net, the Lady Devils seemed to come alive and were much more in synch as a team. In a close contest, Coalfield led 24-21 when Harriman’s Anna Cox served five points to give the Lady Devils a 26-24 victory in the set and tied the match 1-1.

Coalfield took a 1-7 lead in the third set behind the serving of Carlee Kees and Mallory Hill. Harriman closed the gap to 13-11 before the Lady Jackets slowly pulled ahead. Carlee Kees served four points extending Coalfield’s lead to 21-12. From there Coalfield cruised to win the set 25-15 and led the match 2-1. Kees served a total of eight points in the set.

The fourth and deciding set turned out to be another barnburner. Kees served the Lady Jackets to a 6-0 lead, only to see the Lady Devils close the gap to 12-10. Coalfield built a 24-16 lead, only to see the Lady Devils once again mount a comeback charge as Addison Oliver served seven consecutive points to make the score 24-23. The Lady Devils failed on the volley giving Coalfield a 25-23 win in the set and a 3-1 match victory.

Coach Jessica Lowe was clearly frustrated by the inconsistent play of her Lady Jackets. At the same time, Harriman Coach Ashley Kemp had to be elated to see her team come together and put up a strong fight against the higher-ranked Lady Jackets.