Photo: Chrissy Nolan (8) and Kylee Reynolds (9) set a block against Middle Tennessee Christian School Tuesday night. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
Oct. 22, 2024 – The Northpoint Christian volleyball team Tuesday climaxed a long first day of the TSSAA Division II-A state tournament by accomplishing a predetermined goal for them. As the midnight hour was threatening inside the Middle Tennessee Christian School (MTCS) gym, the Lady Trojans won a match at the state’s Final Four for Class A private schools.
“So, we broke the streak of not winning a game at state, so that is super great for us,” said Northpoint coach Kim Robinson after the four-set win over MTCS. “ We knew that we were a team that was united and that we had the talent, and after losing that first game, they came together as a team.”
The first game Robinson referred to was the 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-17) loss to Battle Ground Academy (Franklin, Tenn.) in their first match of the day.
“I think they were putting too much pressure on themselves,” Robinson said of the team’s play in the loss to BGA.
In three previous visits to the state tournament, Northpoint had been ousted in two matches, for an 0-6 record entering Tuesday’s action.
With the schedule falling behind as both Division II-A and Division II-AA were sharing the gymnasium, Northpoint started its loser-out match up with the host team Middle Tennessee Christian School, at about 9:30 p.m. The schedule had it set to start two hours earlier.
Things didn’t go well for the Lady Trojans in the first set against the MTCS Cougars. After Northpoint held a 4-2 lead early, MTCS rallied for a 6-4 advantage. Northpoint would come back to lead 12-9, forcing a Cougar timeout and the move helped MTCS recover from the deficit to take a 21-16 lead, and the Lady Trojans called for a break.
Northpoint would then get back in the set to trail by three at 23-20 and crept closer to within 24-23 MTCS on a block for a point by Chrissy Nolan, but the Cougars scored the final point of a 25-23 win.
In the second set, the Lady Trojans broke open to a 12-3 lead after a kill from Val Hurdle. MTCS got within 12-7, when Robinson and the Lady Trojans called timeout.
After Northpoint took a six-point lead out of the timeout, MTCS recovered to get within 13-10 when a Northpoint volley went long. A kill from Hurdle and a pair of blocks for points from Kylee Reynolds helped the Lady Trojans retake an 18-13 advantage. The five-point margin remained at 21-16 with a drop shot that found the floor from Northpoint’s Sarah Johnson. MTCS would get within two points from there, but a Reynolds drop shot that found the floor finished play in the set for a 25-21 win and an even match at 1-1.
Northpoint seemed to turn the corner in the third set, winning it by a 25-14 score, but the start of the set found the Cougars taking the early lead at 10-5 and a Lady Trojan timeout.
From there, however, Northpoint came together, taking a 15-13 lead, followed by a string of nine straight points that ballooned the lead to 24-13. The skein included kills from Nolan and Quinn Thurman, along with a net violation and two wide volleys from the Cougars, ahead of the eventual 25-14 victory.
The fourth set again saw Northpoint trailing early but a kill and a drop shot by Hurdle gave the Lady Trojans an 8-7 advantage. MTCS tied the set at 11-11 before Hurdle served four straight points for a 15-11 lead. It was 20-15 when the Cougars asked for time and used the break to get within three points when Hurdle scored off the block. It would be a MTCS volley into the net, a drop volley from Reynolds and a point off a tip of a volley from Hurdle that set the match winning point for Northpoint.
For Robinson, the win was a matter of setting and achieving goals.
“We’ve always been a team of small goals,” she said. “First, we wanted to win the region, then we wanted to make it to the Final Four, and then we have to go win that first game at state. Now, the goals are to score the first five points, then win the first set, and then win the next set. So, that’s the mindset from here on out.”
In the MTCS win, Quinn Thurman had 22 kills, 16 digs, one block and one ace. Sarah Johnson made 48 assists, 14 digs, and three kills. Hassie Clare Thurman made 35 digs and served three aces, Val Hurdle finished with 13 kills, 15 digs, one block and one ace. Kylee Reynolds delivered 10 kills and five blocks. Chrissy Nolan – five kills, four blocks, and Mackenzie Roach had 5 kills and four blocks.
Against Battle Ground Academy, stat leaders included: Quinn Thurman – 10 kills, 12 digs, 1 block; Hassie Clare Thurman – 19 digs, 2 assists, 1 ace; Sarah Johnson – 18 assists, 6 digs; Chrissy Nolan – 4 kills, 3 blocks; Kylee Reynolds – 4 kills, 3 blocks; Val Hurdle – 4 kills, 4 digs, 1 ace; and Mackenzine Roach with one block.
Northpoint will await the loser of the Battle Ground Academy-Goodpasture Christian School semifinal game at 12 noon Wednesday. Should they win that match, the Lady Trojans would be seeded into the championship round match at 5 p.m. against the winner of the 12 noon pairing.
Robinson said it doesn’t matter who is next.
“We’re ready for either one that comes,” she said.
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