Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The Cookeville Lady Cavs put together a complete team effort on Thursday in their 3-0 win over district rival White County.
The Lady Cavs took control of the match early, building as much as a 9-3 lead over the Warriorettes. Sparta battled back however, and trimmed the lead down to just a couple points. Cookeville responded with another big run though, leading a 25-12 set win for the Lady Cavs to open the match.
CHS got off to another fast start in the second frame, leading 10-5 early to force a Sparta timeout. While the Warriorettes fought to keep the set closer than the first, it didn’t change the outcome as Cookeville took a 2-0 lead with a 25-16 set win.
The Lady Cavs closed out the sweep in a close, back-and-forth third set, as Cookeville defeated White County 25-17 to claim the district victory.
“I feel really good about my team’s performance,” said CHS head coach Chris Bell. “Just some little things right now that we can do better overall, but every coach is going to say that.”
Coming off a tough 3-1 loss to Lebanon at home, Bell says he liked the resiliency his squad showed in Thursday’s match.
“I feel like we’re a different team than who we were against Lebanon,” Bell said. “We’re working out the kinks and the puzzle pieces are coming together. The girls have really been working, and I’m really excited.”
One thing that was evident from the jump of Thursday’s match was Cookeville’s energy, as they seemed eager to hit the court and bounce back from the Lebanon match.
“We’re a very emotional team,” Bell said. “I’m a coach that’s always fired up and that helps a game, because volleyball is a game of momentum. When we have it, we’re good.”
Cookeville will be back in action on Monday against Ravenwood, while White County will battle Stone Memorial on Saturday.
