Van Buren Slips by Coalfield for District Volleyball Title
By Terry Futrell
They came to play! As the Coalfield Lady Jackets challenged the Van Buren County Eaglettes for the District 3A volleyball championship Thursday evening, it was apparent from the opening serve that both teams came to play. While the record books will simply show that Van Buren defeated Coalfield 3-0, the Eaglettes had to work hard and come from behind in each of the three sets.
The Lady Jackets came out on fire in the opening set and set the stage for the high level of competition that awaited fans. After the score was tied five times early in the set, Coalfield pulled ahead to lead Van Buren 13-9. Van Buren fought back and pulled within two at 14-12 when Eaglette Greta Rigsby began her serve. Rigsby served three consecutive aces to give Van Buren a 15-14 lead. Rigsby then served two additional points, including another ace, for a 17-14 Van Buren lead. The Eaglettes then fought off every Coalfield comeback attempt and took the first set 25-20. Van Buren had a slight 8-7 edge in kills in the set. Riley Scoggins led the Eaglettes with five kills and Rigsby added three kills. Alexis Morrison, Carlee Kees, Jayleigh Bunch, and Taylor Landrum each recorded kills for Coalfield.
Coalfield got off to an even better start in the second set and led 7-2 and then 15-10 before Van Buren could get revved up. The Eaglettes pulled ahead at 16-15. Coalfield tied the set at 16-16, but Van Buren slowly pulled away to win 25-19. The Eaglettes had 11 kills in the set, compared to only five kills for the Lady Jackets.
The teams battled back and forth in the third set, with the score tied ten times before Coalfield took the lead 18-16. The score was tied again at 18-18 and 19-19 before Van Buren took the lead for good at 20-19. The Eaglettes held on to win the set 25-21 and the match 3-0. Each team recorded nine kills in the close battle. Alexis Morrison led Coalfield with four kills and Jayleigh Bunch added three. Riley Scoggins was dominant for the Eaglettes with five kills.
The closeness of the match is a tribute to the level of defensive play by both teams, especially the Libero players who anchored the back line for the two teams – Van Buren’s Jadeah McCurry and Coalfield’s Ashlyn Roberts.
The victory gives Van Buren County the District 3A title for the third year in a row, the last two resulting from title game victories over Coalfield. Van Buren remains undefeated for the entire 2020 season. Three of Coalfield’s four losses this season were to the Eaglettes.
Both teams move on to regional competition on Monday, October 12, at Meigs County High School in Decatur. Coalfield will play District 4A winner Meigs County and Van Buren will play District 4A runner-up Tellico Plains.