
HARRIMAN, TN – Top-seeded Walters State advanced to the TCCAA/Region 7 Championship with a 3-1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-9) win on Friday over fourth-seeded Pellissippi State.
With the victory, the Lady Senators improved to 24-5 overall. Walters State will play third-seeded Chattanooga State in the Championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Roane State.
With Friday's win, Walters State also clinched a spot in next Friday's Southeast District Tournament. A win in that Tournament clinches a spot in the NJCAA DII Tournament.
It was a back-and-forth start, with Pellissippi jumping out to a 10-8 lead in the opening set. The Lady Senators tied the set on a block by Rylee Haynie and took the lead on an ace from Catherine Sweeney and block by Alyssa Campbell and Haynie that made it 12-10.
Pellissippi tied it back, and the two teams were deadlocked until Walters State got a block from Sweeney and Veda Barton and a kill by Sweeney that made it 19-14. An ace by Annah Cate Hyatt got the lead to 23-15, and Walters State closed the set out soon after at 25-18.
In set two, Walters State grabbed a 6-3 advantage after back-to-back aces from Payton Brown and a kill by Lauren Mims. However, Pellissippi climbed back in it and took a 12-9 lead. Walters State tied the set back up on an ace from Olivia Brown and took a 14-13 lead after a kill from Mims.
The Lady Senators got a kill from Haynie and a kill from Barton to hold a slim margin, but Pellissippi charged ahead and took a 25-23 set two win.
In set three, Walters State got up 6-2 after kills from Haynie, Mims, Sweeney and Barton. Pellissippi tied it at nine, but Campbell got the lead back with a kill. From there, Walters State held a small lead until Pellissippi tied the set at 19. The Lady Senators got a block from Sweeney to take the lead back and a kill by Campbell made it 22-20.
Walters State's lead would eventually get to 24-22 before an error gave the Lady Senators set point and a 2-1 lead.
In the final set, it was all Walters State. The Lady Senators scored the first six points of the set and grew the lead to 10-3 following a kill by Campbell. It was 13-3 after a kill from Mims and 18-8 following a block by Haynie. Pellissippi scored one final point in the set, before Walters State scored the final seven points to close things out with a 25-9 win.
Up Next:
Walters State will take on Chattanooga State in the TCCAA/Region 7 Championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. The match will be at Roane State.