Bristol Herald Courier
Mya Ferland hustled her way to 16 digs and also had six service points as Marion won the Southwest District volleyball tournament on Saturday night with a 28-26, 25-13, 25-23 victory over the Virginia High Bearcats.
Marion (20-4) added the SWD tourney title to its regular-season championship and hosts Gate City on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the first round of the Region 2D tourney.
The pivotal sequence in Saturday's match occurred in the first set when Marion faced a 24-22 deficit but managed to rally.
"It takes a mentally tough team to fight back when a team has game-point advantage," said Marion coach Amanda Hanshew. "In that timeout I told them we just have to focus for one point at a time and focus on what we control. We had to tighten up our defense and make the smart plays. They kept their focus and pushed through for the win. Taking that first set is really big in building confidence and momentum."
People are also reading... HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Honaker undergoes coaching change, Aaron Lowe to be interim boss NBA: Mac McClung (Gate City) dishes out two assists for Magic in loss at Memphis HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Prep Predictions for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Aaron Smith splits uprights for game-winner as Holston edges Rural Retreat, moves to 8-1 HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Owen Barr guides Abingdon to landmark win over Union at Bullitt Park HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Carter Creasy has authored a storybook run at Tazewell HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Emmah McAmis becomes VHSL career kills leader in Wise Central's loss to Ridgeview; Abingdon beats Battle in M7 semis HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: George Wythe denied MED title after rally vs. Grayson County falls short FRIDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Stewart makes triumphant return for PH; Rye Cove, Graham are 9-0; Virginia High, Eastside, Grundy get shutouts; Lowe wins debut as Honaker's coach; 57 penalties in SWD game; Castlewood's Houchins has 99-yard TD run; Plus, much more HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL: Reynolds helps Patrick Henry wrap up Hogo tourney win over Honaker HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: A calculator was needed to add up sublime stats in the week that was. A look back and a glance ahead HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Tennessee High downs Daniel Boone, finishes 8-2 in regular season HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Walker Hillman loves to pound away at defenders for Gate City MONDAY'S HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Council vs. Grundy in BDD volleyball finals; Central's McAmis on verge of history; Central, Twin Springs, Rye Cove, Chilhowie, Ridgeview, Auburn sweep; THS runners fare well in region HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Abingdon moves into top spot in Region 3D playoff power points; Rye Cove (1D), Graham (2D) still lead
Allie Totten (seven kills), Brooke Langston (five kills, four blocks, four aces), Kayla Cline (six kills, five digs, two aces), Aubrey Yarber (eight kills, six service points) and Aubree Whitt (19 assists, six kills, two digs, two aces) also keyed the victory for the Scarlett Hurricanes against a VHS squad that had been playing well.
"Virginia High can be a dangerous team when they get that momentum and we knew we had to stay in control," Hanshew said. "We are excited to move in to the region tournament and the opportunity to host on Thursday. We know that we need to maintain our focus and bring positive energy with our game."
Charli Carpenter (20 assists, 15 digs), Amelia McKenzie (11 digs, eight kills) and Maddie Davis (seven kills, three blocks) were the leaders for VHS, which hosts archrival John Battle on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a first-round clash.
Lebanon 3, Richlands 0
Averie Russell dished out 24 assists and also slammed down eight kills as the Lebanon Pioneers powered their way to a 25-17, 25-8, 25-20 win over Richlands in the third-place match of the Southwest District tournament.
Gracie Crabtree (10 kills, five blocks), Jaidyn Fields (11 digs, 10 assists, eight kills), Lauren Horne (nine digs) and Bailey Collins (nine digs) also played well in the win.
Lebanon goes to Wise County Central and Richlands travels to Ridgeview in the first round of the VHSL Region 2D tourney.
Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter
Sent weekly directly to your inbox!
Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.