Story and Photos by Rusty Ellis
The Cookeville Lady Cavs saw their season come to an end in a 3-0 loss to Lebanon in the District 7AAA Semifinals on Tuesday night.
A close set got the match off to a fast start, and it was the Lady Devils who took a 1-0 lead after winning the opening frame 25-21. Lebanon held a 17-11 lead at one point, and Cookeville trimmed that lead all the way down to one point, but they were unable to overcome the deficit.
The second set saw the Lady Cavs get off to a much better start, but Lebanon quickly countered and took the frame 25-15.
SECOND SET
Cookeville got off to a fast start in the second, but now trail 16-8 after a big run by the Lady Devils. https://t.co/1J6gIdA4GE
— Rusty Ellis (@RustyEllis_) October 5, 2022
Cookeville fought to the end of the third set, but nothing they did could halt the Lady Devils’ run, as they went on to win the match 3-0 on the strength of a 25-16 win in the final frame.
Lady Cavs head coach Chris Bell knew that his team didn’t put their best performance together on Tuesday night, but he was also quick to give credit to Lebanon for their performance.
“We didn’t do the little things right, but they played out of their minds,” Bell said. “They didn’t do anything wrong, and we just got out-played. It wasn’t our night, it’s sports and that happens. We’ll just learn from this and move on.”
The start of the second set proved to be the best stretch of volleyball CHS could muster up on Tuesday, and Bell once again referred to the tiny details for why his team was successful.
“We put the brakes on and they slowed down a little,” Bell said. “We were just doing the little things, and tried to place it where their libero was not.”
It puts an official end to Bell’s first season as the coach in Cookeville, and while it didn’t end as he hoped, he still shared plenty of positive sentiments.
“This year, I’ve grown as a person and a coach,” Bell said. “The girls have faced so much adversity, and they’ve grown. They never quit, and we made it to the semifinals our first year. It’s all up from here.”
