The Clay County High volleyball team competed in a tough tournament in Sparta in their second week of the season, and also picked up important district wins over Monterey and Clarkrange.

The Lady Bulldogs picked up 2-0 wins over AAA schools Daniel Boone and McGavock, and lost 2-0 to Cookeville and Ravenwood (top-ranked in AAA) at the White County Invitational. The Lady Bulldogs fell in hard-fought opening games in the losses there.

The Lady Bulldogs started district play that week with a 25-9, 25-12 win over Clarkrange, and a 25-8, 25-18 win over Monterey.

Jackson County handed CCHS its first district loss, by a 25-22, 25-16 score.

“We had a solid net game and served well against Jackson County, but the match was decided on solid serving by the Lady Blue Devils and poor service return by us,” said CCHS coach Gary Strong. 

Jackson County scored the final nine points of the first game after trailing 22-16. 

The Lady Bulldogs launched a comeback of their own in a later match against Watertown. The Lady Tigers took the first game of the match 25-17, but strong service games by Sydney Roach, Casey Cooper and Tessa Dixon provided CCHS with back-to-back wins to take the match. Clay County won game two 25-23 and game three 25-18. 

The Lady Bulldogs’ competed at the Jackson County Invitational over the weekend, and are scheduled to host Monterey Sept. 24 in an important district matchup. Clay County can lock up second place in the district with a win over Monterey, coach Strong said. 

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Tessa Dixon (top) and Randi Strong were named the volleyball players of the second week of the season for CCHS. The award is sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance, Jack’s Quik Shop, and Beauty Queen’s Boutique. (Photos courtesy CCHS)