Monthly Archive for October, 2008
A couple of weeks ago I shared with you our Saturday in the woodshop building a table for our BGE. Well it is done! I have posted a few pics of the finished product, I have to admit I am fairly proud. Thought it would not have been conceivable without some skills which were provided by Posey - thanks again brother!
By Jason Smith (Contact), Memphis Commercial Appeal
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
When it was over, they put on T-shirts with the words, “One Team, One Dream,” imprinted on them.
But the Hutchison volleyball team has a much loftier goal in mind than simply earning back-to-back Division 2-AA West Region tournament titles, as it did Tuesday with its 8-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-12 victory over St. Benedict in the tourney’s title match at Hutchison.
Tournament co-MVP and senior hitter Rebekah Smith tallied 23 kills, four aces and two blocks to help the top-seeded Sting bounce back from a lopsided Game 1 loss. Smith’s 23-kill total also pushed her past former Chattanooga East Ridge standout Laura Brock for the state record for kills in a career with 2,440. Brock recorded 2,425 kills from 2003-06.
Hutchison (29-11), along with St. Benedict and third-place finisher Evangelical Christian School, advanced to Saturday’s D2 sub-state round, where the Sting will host fourth-place East/Middle Region finisher Knoxville Webb.
But it wasn’t until after Sting coach Jitka Okolicany delivered a prophetic postgame message to her team following Game 1 that Hutchison began to look like the same team that hadn’t lost to an area squad all season.
“I said, ‘This is just the first game. Destiny lies within you. You’ve worked too hard not to finish this,’” said Okolicany, whose Sting managed to rally from a 21-20 Game 2 hole against a St. Benedict squad that had taken Hutchison to the maximum 10 games in the teams’ previous two meetings this season.
“I think it’s always a danger in volleyball. You come in undefeated and you’ve beat a team time and time over; the ball is round, and it was time (St. Benedict) came out of the gate stronger than us. We were flat, but there was no doubt in my mind that that was not how it was going to end.”
Trailing, 20-8 in Game 3, St. Benedict scored 13 of the next 17 points to tighten things up at 24-21. But a well-placed tip by by Smith closed out the game before St. Benedict went on to fall behind, 5-0, in Game 4.
“I mean, you have to be at the top of your game to beat Hutchison, and I felt like we played at the top of our game in the first game and we were able to beat them soundly,” said St. Benedict coach Angie Buchanan, whose Lady Eagles will host third-seeded Nashville Ensworth in Saturday’s sub-state round.
“We put the pressure on them with our passing and, particularly, with our serving game (in Game 1), but it broke down in the other games, and that’s what happens. They break you down. But I’m proud of these kids.”
St. Benedict senior setter Kelsey Miles, named tournament co-MVP with Smith, was joined on the all-tournament team by Lady Eagle sophomore hitter Hannah Kurtz and junior hitter Megan Pulido. Hutchison had Smith, senior middle Meg Stephenson and freshman setter Caroline Sabbatini named to the all-tourney team.
Earlier Tuesday, ECS knocked off Briarcrest Christian 25-23, 25-19, 25-21 at Hutchison to earn the third and final sub-state berth from the West. The Lady Eagles will travel to face second-seeded Chattanooga Girls Preparatory School on Saturday in a sub-state match.
Kelsey Sanders of ECS and Kaitlin Luellen of Briarcrest were also named to the all-tournament team.
Hutchison wins in sub-state!
I have posted a few pics from the week here. Feel free to email me anymore that you would like posted here.
Thanks and GO HUTCH!