Cookeville Volleyball Takes Down White County In 5 Sets, 3-2

By Michael Lindsay

 

The Cookeville Lady Cavalier volleyball team improved to 15-3 overall and 11-0 in District 7-3A play Monday night as they defeated White County in 5 sets.

“We had to dig really deep,” said Cookeville head coach Staci Wiegand. “Moving up our offense and running a quicker pace, we had to force more precise passes and getting in system more. We had a really sluggish night, but I’m glad we picked it up at the end.”

Cookeville won the opening set 25-23 before the Warriorettes took the second by the same score. Cookeville controlled the third set from the jump as they won it 25-11 before White County rebounded to take the fourth, 25-21, setting up a winner-take-all fifth set to 15.

Cookeville opened the fifth set with a 6-3 advantage via a Mariel Robinson kill before White County reeled off a 4-0 run to take a 7-6 lead.

Back-to-back kills from Brecken Windle followed by one from White County’s Callieanna Griggs tied the contest at 8 points each. The Lady Cavaliers followed up with a 4-0 run via a kill by Bethany Phillips, Hannah Rich, an ace by Millie Callahan and a Warriorette error to take a 12-8 lead.

Cookeville held off a late White County rally to win the fifth 15-11 capped off by a Rich kill to take the match, 3-2.

“My outside hitters Brecken Windle and Bethany Phillips stepped it up,” said Wiegand. “Our setters had a tough job and had to find what was working.”

White County’s victory in the second set snapped a streak of 28 consecutive sets won against District 7-3A teams to start the season for Cookeville.

“Finishing the job is always important,” said Wiegand. “Us losing the ones we did is humbling, and sometimes you need to be humbled for growth. We have to keep that mindset that you can always be beaten and we have to fight and battle to earn these wins.”

Cookeville is scheduled to host Lebanon Tuesday at 6:30 while White County is set to travel to Warren County.