CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Kirkwood Cobras, Northwest Vikings, Dickson County Cougars, and Clarksville Wildcats all met up at Clarksville High School for the Region 7-4A volleyball tournament on Tuesday.
Clarksville High defeated Northwest, and Kirkwood defeated Dickson County in the semifinals before Clarksville High defeated Kirkwood in the championship, 3-0, to clinch their fifth straight region title.
CHS uses late run to beat Northwest
In the first game between Northwest and Clarksville High, the Wildcats came out with a mindset of leaving no doubt. The Wildcats won the first set dominantly, 25-8. Northwest wouldn’t let their season go that easily, though, tying the second set up 10-10 before a Clarksville timeout. The Wildcats went on a late run to win that set 25-18, and carried that momentum into the third, winning 25-14 to sweep the Vikings, ending Northwest’s season.
“We fought and played decently well, but we just couldn’t get the points when we needed to,” said Vikings head coach Bri Campbell. “At the end of the day, not everyone gets to keep playing, and we came out on the wrong end of that. This team never gave up, kept the faith, and I will always remember these moments and this bond with these girls this season.”
Kirkwood upsets Dickson County
In the second game, the Cobras pulled off an upset sweep of Dickson County and continued their postseason run with a region semifinal win to extend their season, winning by scores of 25-20, 25-20, and narrowly pulling out the third set 25-23.
“We had a lot of energy and stayed up, and focused on our side of the net,” said Kirkwood head coach Shayla Smith. “We were consistent, usually the more consistent team wins, and that’s something I’ve emphasized to the team. I knew from tryouts that we were going to be in this position, and they earned their spot.”
Clarksville High dominates Kirkwood
In the region title game between Kirkwood and Clarksville High, the Wildcats started out hot and stayed that way, winning 25-8 in the first set. The second set was the same story, although a red card was issued to Kirkwood after a lengthy discussion with a ref, but the Wildcats won 25-9. That momentum went all the way into the third set, winning 25-11, capturing their fifth straight region title in dominant fashion.
“We couldn’t get into a rhythm,” said Smith. “A lot of outside factors started getting into our heads, and they were hard to eliminate. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but if they can fix the simple mistakes, we have a good shot.”
What’s next for Kirkwood, CHS
Both teams’ seasons will continue, with Kirkwood traveling to Arlington for a win-or-go-home sectional match and a shot at a state tournament birth in only their third year as a program. The Cobras have pulled off a few upsets to get here, and will need one more in order to get there.
As for Clarksville, according to head coach Glen Fox, they’ve completed goal No. 2 on the year. The first goal was a district title, which they captured last week; now they’ve captured yet another region title.
Now, they face the big one on Thursday night, as it will be the eighth straight year they’ve competed in a sectional match. They face a familiar foe in Houston High, whom they’ve faced now seven of the last eight years, and the question remains the same as it has all year: Is this the year that the Wildcats finally get to Murfreesboro?
“The girls have played so well, and it’s a huge accomplishment,” said Fox. “People don’t realize how hard it is to repeat just twice, let alone five times. The game can’t be bigger than what we’re trying to do. We’ve worked really hard to get to this point, so we just have to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re gonna play our hearts out, and see what happens.”
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