By Michael Lindsay
Setting goals for a startup volleyball team is pretty simple:
1. Get better every day
2. Win a few games
3. Be competitive in district matchups
How about winning a district championship in your first season in 40 years?
The York Institute Lady Dragons did just that as they defeated rival Clarkrange in Thursday’s District 3A title game at Oakdale School, 3-1.
“Back in June, if you would’ve said we’d be district champs, they’d probably check us in a crazy house or something,” said YAI head coach Michael Green. “I can’t say enough about this bunch of girls. They’re a great group with great attitudes.”
Even Green didn’t know what York’s preseason expectations should’ve been.
“We’ve been flying by the seat of our pants all season, and this is a huge accomplishment by this bunch,” he said. “We’re going to celebrate this and take it in. We’ll take it in for the next three days. Nobody around, other than our locker room, thought this was possible. We’re going to enjoy it for a while; we may still enjoy it after the season’s over.”
“I feel great,” added York senior Josie Linder. “I’ve waited for this moment all season. We lost to them (Clarkrange) a few times, and now we finally beat them.”
York Institute was led by tournament MVP Cali Franklin, a freshman.
“Cali is a great athlete and the best hitter we have,” Green said. “She didn’t even try out for volleyball; she plays basketball for me and about a month in I found out she’d been playing volleyball since 4th grade.”
Franklin, Emma Cooper, Emma Pile, Emerson Maier and Raylee Werner were named all-tournament for the Lady Dragons.
“Individual stuff is great, but we wanted a district championship,” Green said. “Like I said with Josie and Emma Cooper, whether they got a trophy or not, we’re not here if we don’t have those two.”
Clarkrange, the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, swept York during their regular season meetings.
Despite the Lady Buffaloes’ success, Green knew his team had the ability to take them down.
“I know it sounds crazy, but I told the girls I think we can beat them 3-0 if we play like we can,” he said.
Though it wasn’t a 3-0 sweep, York’s win came convincingly.
The Lady Dragons won the first set, 26-24, before Clarkrange took the second by the same score. York then dominated the third set, 25-11, before winning the fourth 25-13 to lock up their title.
Clarkrange jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in the first set before York settled in. After the teams traded blows, York took an 18-16 lead over the Lady Buffaloes.
Clarkrange brought it within one, 21-20, on a Maddie Bush block and then tied the game at 24 off a York serving error. From there, Franklin scored back-to-back points to lead York to a 26-24 set victory.
“Winning that first one tonight was huge,” Green said. “That’s going to be to our advantage tremendously; then they’re going to have to battle back. We’re used to fighting back, let them do it instead.”
Clarkrange certainly battled back as they took the second set, 26-24.
“We should’ve won that second set, and we let it slip away,” Green said. “That one was my fault; I didn’t do a good enough job. I’m trying to get that killer mentality into them.”
“That drove me to want to beat them even more to prove a point,” Linder added.
The Lady Dragons responded to the adversity by outscoring Clarkrange 50-24 in the next two sets to win the district championship in front of a capacity crowd at Oakdale.
Thursday’s game wasn’t your standard matchup between two good teams, though.
York Institute and Clarkrange set the standard for Tennessee rivalries despite rarely meeting in competition, regardless of sport. Only 15 miles separate their campuses, but York vs. Clarkrange sporting events are rare.
Their volleyball games in the regular season and on Thursday were incredible atmospheres, but the elephant in the room is basketball. The last regular season basketball game between the two took place in the 1970s.
“We’ve tried to play basketball and people are worried about the crowds not getting along,” Green said. “We’ve already played them twice in volleyball; at our place and theirs. Everybody made it out fine, and it’s great for the community.
“A lot of people on both sides want to see us play,” Green said. “Volleyball showed we can be civilized. It may get a little heated with back-and-forth, but you see these people all in the county, and it’s great for all of us.”
Both volleyball programs have automatically advanced to next week’s Region 2A tournament in Chattanooga.
“If we get beat Monday, it won’t be because we’re overconfident,” Green said. “We’re going down humble and giving it our best shot.”
Details on the region volleyball tournament will be shared when available.
WATCH: York vs. Clarkrange highlights: https://fb.watch/g0jdci0dVU/
WATCH: York head coach Michael Green and players Josie Linder and Emma Cooper discuss their championship victory: https://fb.watch/g0jfyVVSmr/
