Court In Session: 2020 Anderson County Volleyball Preview by mycouriernews

Best of Luck to the Volleyball Teams in Anderson County!

W Oak WE'RE HIRINGC Oak Ridge and Kingst 111

Call 483-5433 or C store 483-5433. office: 482-7713 • store: 483-5433 111 Randolph Rd in O Store hrs: Tue. - Fri. 9:30-6:00 & Sat. 9:30-4:00

482-7713 ReStore located in Grove Centeroffice at 105 Randolph Road

office 482-7713 store 483-5433.

Store hrs: Tue. - Fri. 9:30-6:00 and Sat. 9:30-4:00 ReStore located in Grove Center at 105 Randolph Road

Tradition

Store hrs: Tue. - Fri. 9:30-6:00 and Sat. 9:30-4:00 Anderson County ReStoreServing located in Grove Center at 105 forRandolph MoreRoadThan 132 Years

MYCOURIERNEWS.COM

Subscribe Today! Call (865) 457-2515 2

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Best of Luck to the Lady Mavericks & All of Anderson County on your 2020-21 Season!!

Serve It!

865.457.9100 • www.cantrell-law.com COURT IN SESSION

Anderson County’s Lady Mavs are loaded and looking for gold The Anderson County Maverick Volleyball team is gearing up for another season, and with all 13 players from last year returning and a flux of incoming freshmen, it’s looking promising for the storied team. “We look really strong,” said head coach Jaime Smith. “We have five seniors coming back, so we have a lot of experience on the court. All 13 returning players were in some kind of travel program this year too, so that’s an additional benefit.” A total of 24 players will make up the team for the Mavs this year, with 11 freshmen joining. “We actually had a pretty equal number of incoming girls from Norris and Lake City,” said Smith. “It’s always good to have incoming freshmen from both of our feeder programs. We also picked up two from Clinton Middle, so we have a very well-rounded team coming in. When they get to the high school, we try to impress on them that they’re Mavericks. It doesn’t matter if they came from Lake City or Norris, they’re Mavericks now.” According to Smith, four freshmen in particular will be players to watch this season: Jaylynn Bullock (setter), Emily Mustard (left side hitter), Ebby Mays (defensive specialist / setter), and Gracie Hayes (left outside hitter). All four are talented players that the coaching staff are expecting a lot out of. “We’ve definitely got a great group [of freshmen],” said Smith. “There’s a lot of experience, and we’ve got a few with limited experience who are working really hard and improving a lot.” Of the returning players, Hannah Freeman, the team’s setter, is still one of the top players. “Everything we do comes down to her,”

said Smith. “Matti Rowland is probably one of our most powerful players. Morgan McMurry is our outside bat and takes most of the weight of our offense. Leya Freeman is our defensive specialist. If she isn’t the best defensive specialist in the state, then she’s definitely close. She’s ranked just behind last year’s player of the year.” Jayce Braden, Bailey Wilder, and Anna Kay Smith will round out the top eight for the Mavericks, and Kelsey Marlowe, another senior, will act as the team’s utility player. The team has hired a new JV coach this year, Haylee Smith. “She’s doing great,” said Smith. “She played as a high school player and played locally at Walter State. It’s unusual to find someone to fit right in but it’s like she’s been here all along. The girls are comfortable with her and she fits right in. It’s been a really smooth transition.”

“I mean when we go

practice and when we’re competing against each other, they are at each other’s throats the entire time. They are enemies until the drill is done and then they’re friends again. They don’t take anything off each other and they hold each other accountable more than any group I’ve had in a long time.” — Jaime Smith 2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Even with the new coach fitting in fine, there’s still a lot of uncertainty for the team because of the global pandemic. Volleyball has been affected, as have all sports, with the team being restricted from holding scrimmages and having to adjust tournaments. That being said, they’re still playing the hardest teams they can. “The first time we play will be during our first game in August,” said Smith. “We won’t be able to travel to Sevierville for one of our big tournaments either, but we’re trying to have some local tournaments with less teams. In the district, our hardest match will probably still be Gibbs. We always try to play the best teams in the area. We’ll have Farragut early in the season and Maryville closer to the end. We’ll see Concord Christian in one of our tournaments, and all of those teams are good teams. We also have Catholic on the schedule too. We want to

Senior Lady Mav Matti Rowland works the ball over the net.

Senior Lady Mav Morgan McMurray in play against Farragut.

play up and test our girls and get them out of their comfort zone. Every game they come away learning something, and come away knowing the stuff they still need to work on. We have some early in the season and some later so we can really see how we progressed. I think we’ll definitely make it to state, though.” Despite the uncertainty, Smith had nothing but good things to say about the team. With 24 total players, it’s one of the largest teams she’s ever had, and so far, they’ve all worked hard and really impressed the coaching staff. “They are probably the most competitive team I’ve ever had,” said Smith. “I mean when we go practice and when we’re competing against each other, they are at each other’s throats the entire time. They are enemies until the drill is done and then they’re friends again. They don’t take anything off each other and they hold each other accountable more than any group I’ve had in a long time.” The first district game for the Mavs is Aug. 29 at Grainger High School.

COURT IN SESSION

Anderson County High School 2020 Lady Mavericks Roster NO.

PLAYER

CLASS

POSITION

EMILY VARNER

KELSEA MARLOWE

ANNA KAY SMITH

5/22

NIKE EDMONDSON

MATTI ROWLAND

LEAH FREEMAN

ERIN CANTRELL

MORGAN MCMURRAY

SYDNEY LONG

JAYCE BRADEN

BAILEY WILDER

HANNAH FREEMAN

KAELIN COX

23/2

EMILY MUSTARD

JAYLYNN BULLOCK

EBBY MAYES

GRACIE HAYES

KYRA DAMEWOOD

SAVANNAH WORTHINGTON

31/36

BLEVENS JORJA

55/24

RILEY OWENS

5/34

KHLOE MARLOWE

22/24

KENNLEY REED

FAITH GRAHAM

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

TRY A CLASS FOR FREE! Every Thursday, we offer a free class to the community. We simply ask that you arrive early to fill out a waiver and to meet your coach. Thursday workouts are designed for ALL ability levels. Please come join us. Best of Luck to ALL Anderson County Athletes.

378 MARKET STREET • CLINTON, TN • CLINCHVALLEYCROSSFIT.COM

COURT IN SESSION

THE 2020 LADY MAVERICKS VOLLEYBALL TEAM

The Anderson County High School volleyball team seniors are, from left: Kelsea Marlow, Bailey Wilder, Morgan McMurray, Mattie Rowland, and Hannah Freeman.

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Anderson County High School 2020 Lady Mavericks Schedule DATE

TIME

OPPONENT

8-18

5 P.M.

FARRAGUT (JV)

6 P.M.

FARRAGUT (V)

5 P.M.

ORHS (JV)

6 P.M.

ORHS (V)

8-20 8-21/8-22

* DISTRICT MATCHES

LOCATION HOME HOME

WILDERNESS

AWAY

8-25

4:30/6:30

HARDIN VALLEY

AWAY

8-27

3 P.M.

GRAINGER*

AWAY

8-28/8-29

TBA

WHITEHOUSE/HERITAGE

HOME

9-3

5 P.M.

UNION (JV)

HOME

6 P.M.

UNION* (V)

9-8

5 P.M., 6 P.M.

GIBBS*

AWAY

9-10

5 P.M., 6 P.M.

CLINTON*

AWAY

9-11/912

TBA

BAYLOR/SODDY DAISY

AWAY

9-15

5 P.M.

CLINTON (JV)

HOME

6 P.M.

CLINTON (V)

5 P.M.

GRAINGER (JV)

6 P.M.

GRAINGER* (V)

9-18/9-19

TBA

SIEGAL

HOME

9-22

5 P.M., 6 P.M.

UNION*

AWAY

9-23

1 P.M.

HERITAGE (V)

HOME

4:30 P.M.

CLEVELAND (V)

5 P.M.

GIBBS (JV)

6 P.M.

GIBBS* (V)

9-25/9-26

TBA

CONCORD CHRISTIAN

AWAY

9-28

5 P.M., 6 P.M.

FARRAGUT

AWAY

9-30

TBA

UNION CO. – JV DISTRICT TOURNAMENT

10-1

5 P.M.

MARYVILLE (JV)

6 P.M.

MARYVILLE (V)

8 P.M.

CARTER (V)

TBA

DIST. TOURNEY - GRAINGER (V)

9-17

9-24

10-6 / 10-7

COURT IN SESSION

HOME

AWAY

Clinton High’s Lady Dragons are hungry to prove themselves There is a lot of talent on the Clinton High School volleyball team, but in a year where practice time has come in snippets, it’s been a bit of a challenge for Lady Dragon Head Coach Susan Zellner to polish that talent. “So, you have practice sessions, and then you have to stop, to close down,” she said. “Then you are allowed to practice again and … You have to start all over.” Zellner has a mixed squad this season: Three seniors, five juniors, three sophomores, and six freshmen. But even with eight upperclassmen on the team it’s a relatively inexperienced squad, so it helps this group is attentive — students of the game, if you will — and very tenacious, they just

don’t quit. Kailyn Price started for the Lady Dragons last season and her play grew as the season progressed. She is expected to make even bigger strides in 2020. “We really expect good things from her,” her coach noted. Imagin Cooper is a middle blocker and hitter. “She’s getting stronger every day,” Zellner said. By the time district play rolls along (Sept. 1 at Union County) Cooper is expected to make a big contribution to the team. The other senior is Cassidy Lowe, another experienced volleyballer. But Lowe has missed a lot of practice with illness. “We want her to get healthy and get back to volleyball,” Zellner said. With a small-ish pool of senior to rely on, Zellner sees her juniors stepping up and taking a large role on the team. Jordyn Majors has never been a setter before in her career, but in 2020 she is stepping into the role and her coach says she will come along just fine. Makayla Campbell and Clara Thomas are getting back into the game. Thomas

“We have work to do …

Junior Kierra Washington has the tools and the work ethic to make a big impact for the Lady Dragons.

Everybody does because of the circumstances this year, but we have some really good athletes and we have some really good servers. Our kids have worked hard, and they’ve made the best of it.” — Susan Zellner 2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

sat out 2019 with an injury and Campbell took some time off. Zellner said Campbell is a hard worker, though, and she’s quickly catching back up and will be a contributor. For Thomas it may still be a little while before she recovers fully from last year’s injury. Lillia Shultz and Kierra Washington have the tools and willingness to step to the forefront for the Lady Dragons. “Lillia is a great leader. She’s a hard worker and she’s very coachable,” Zellner said. “Kierra is a great all-around player. She does it all and she’s constantly working.” The three sophomores on the Lady Dragon squad have a the athleticism and attitude to make a huge contribution. Brooklynn Blisard “has a heart of gold,” Zellner noted. She will be the team’s libero. “She’s willing to learn and do what is needed to contribute.” Orianna Altum is a new player for Zellner, but the sophomore has been practicing hard and “fits right in” with the Lady Dragons and their work ethic. SarahGrace Stockstill is a hard worker, “Zellner said. “She’s getting better all the time.” She could be a hidden gem for this team. The freshman class on the Lady Dragons has a lot of potential. Zellner credited the growing Clinton Middle School volleyball program for that and their work ethic. Tomi Taylor will be starting varsity as a freshman. “She has a lot of athletic talent,” Zellner said. “She’s green, but she’s improving every day.” Bricelynn Moses is perhaps the best freshman server the Lady Dragons have and Zellner said she is a typical hard worker. It will take Zavie Floyd a little while to show off her full potential. She’s coming off an injury and still isn’t 100-percent. Mia Baylis and Darbi Brummett are your typical Lady Dragon players: They work hard, they don’t give up, and you can’t teach them enough — they soak up knowledge like a sponge. “We have a really good freshman

COURT IN SESSION

class,” Zellner said. “They are going to leave a mark.” “We’re going to be okay,” Zellner said. “Anderson County is Anderson County. Everybody else falls in behind them. “We have work to do … Everybody does because of the circumstances this year, but we have some really good athletes and we have some really good servers. Our kids have worked hard, and they’ve made the best of it.” With all the unscheduled time off though, Zellner said the Lady Dragons are, “Ready to come and play.” One of the offshoots of the 2020 COVID-19-impacted season is one of the highlights for a lot of East Tennessee volleyball teams and that’s Clinton High School’s annual “Pink Night.” Yes, there will be a Pink Night in 2020, but it will be a little different. “This year we can’t have more than one team taking part at a time,” Zellner said. In the past, when three other teams would be invited to the Lady Dragon Breast Cancer Awareness and fundraising night, this year

The Lady Dragons are looking for big things from senior Imagin Cooper.

THE 2020 LADY DRAGONS VOLLEYBALL TEAM there will only be one team other than the Lady Dragons at Pink Night. “Two years ago Northview Academy came down for Pink Night and they were really impressed, really excited to take part in that,” Zellner said. “Last year we didn’t have them and their coach (Kim Jenkins) called and asked why they weren’t invited.

With so many teams who like to take part in the event, Zellner can’t invite everyone. This season the Lady Dragons can only invite one team per TSSAA protocols. “So, Northview Academy will be the only team for Pink Night,” she said. Pink Night is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1. Junior varsity begins at 5:30 p.m.

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Lady Dragon seniors, from left: Kailyn Price, Cassiday Lowe, and Imagin Cooper.

Clinton High School 2020 Lady Dragons Roster NO.

PLAYER

KAILYN PRICE

NO.

PLAYER

TOMI TAYLOR

CASSIDY LOWE

SARAHGRACE STOCKSTILL

JORDYN MAJORS

DARBI BRUMMETT

LILLIA SHULTZ

MAKAYLA CAMPBELL

CLARA THOMAS

IMAGEN COOPER

MIA BAYLIS

ZAVIE FORD

ORIANNA ALTUM

3/25 BROOKLYN BLISARD

BRICELYNN MOSES

KIERRA WASHINGTON

COURT IN SESSION

GRADE

KAELYN BOWLING

GRADE

SO FR

Clinton High School 2020 Lady Dragons Schedule DATE

TIME

OPPONENT

8-17

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

CARTER (JV) CARTER (V)

HOME

8-18

5:30 P.M. 6:30 P.M.

MARYVILLE CHRISTIAN (JV) MARYVILLE CHRISTIAN (V)

HOME

8-20

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

GATLINBURG PITTMAN (JV) GATLINBURG PITTMAN (V)

HOME

8-24

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

KARNS (V) KARNS (JV)

AWAY

8-27

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

LOUDON (JV) LOUDON (V)

HOME

8-31

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

NORTHVIEW ACADEMY (JV) NORTHVIEW ACADEMY (V)

AWAY

9-1

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

UNION COUNTY (JV)* UNION COUNTY (V)

HOME

9-3

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

GIBBS (JV)* GIBBS (V)

HOME

9-8

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

GRAINGER (JV)* GRAINGER (V)

HOME

9-10

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

ANDERSON COUNTY (JV)* ANDERSON COUNTY (V)

HOME

9-11/912

TBA

ROCKY TOP CLASSIC

AWAY

9-14

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

UNION COUNTY (JV)* UNION COUNTY (V)

AWAY

9-15

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

ANDERSON COUNTY (JV)* ANDERSON COUNTY (JV)

AWAY

9-17

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

GIBBS (JV)* GIBBS (V)

AWAY

9-21

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

SEVIER COUNTY (JV) HOME SEVIER COUNTY (SENIOR NIGHT) (V)

9-22

5 P.M. 6 P.M.

GRAINGER (JV)* GRAINGER (V)

9-30

TBA

UNION CO. – JV DISTRICT TOURNAMENT

10-1

5:30 P.M. 5:30 P.M.

NORTHVIEW ACADEMY (JV) NORTHVIEW ACADEMY (V)

HOME

10-6 / 10-7

TBA

DIST. TOURNEY - GRAINGER (V)

AWAY

* DISTRICT MATCHES

LOCATION

AWAY

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Lake City wants to build on 2019’s perfect regular season Following an undefeated regular season last year, Lake City Middle School is gearing up for a rebuilding year after graduating its entire starting varsity last year. “My whole starting varsity team were eighth graders,” said head coach Ron Roskelly. “They were probably the best team we’ve ever had and hardly any of my current varsity team ever saw time because I had such a solid group and they all worked together so well. It’s all cyclical. You get a group of really strong girls and then a couple years later you get another group of really strong girls. We went 14-0 last year in the regular season, and it’s hard to replace a group that clicked so well.” Like every other team in the state, Lake City is dealing with strange times due to the current pandemic, and, while that’s caused some schools to lower the amount of players they kept on the team, for Lake City, it actually increased the number. This year there are 18 players total, with six eighth-graders, six seventh-graders, and six sixth-graders. “It’s unusually high,” said Roskelly. “I just thought that with all of the craziness going on, sports probably needs to be something in people’s lives right now. Something else to focus on and do. I normally wouldn’t have kept that many, but I think we need it. We’ve been trying to do four-hour practices now with multiple groups but, as school starts, we’ll have to find a way to cut that down. Losing the Spring really hurt us because some girls play in the Spring to get more experience. It hurts everybody, though. We should be all right.”

COURT IN SESSION

This year, Roskelly says varsity is much more mixed, with players from all three grades competing for varsity play time. “Clara Tomlinson is looking to be a really strong attacker this year. She’s got a lot of hunger for it. Lonna Barnette should be one of our strongest servers. She’s got an absolute rocket launcher, but we’ve got to make her consistent. Katelynn Kennedy, Karoline Arender, and Dakota Berlin will be strong servers, too, and hopefully they’ll win a lot of points for us. “Cailey Braden and Rylee Buchanan are both looking to be really strong setters and help the attack, while Coy Tomlinson is an aggressive seventh-grader that we’re looking to get some pretty strong middle play from.

“I honestly think we’ll

have a great year. We’ve got some great girls and some great kids that really work hard together. I think everybody is dealing with the same stuff we are. These girls enjoy each other and they work really well together, so hopefully they pull together for each other and figure things out.” —Ron Roskelly

[Tomlinson] is super aggressive and really wants to play. Emerie Bullock will probably play some varsity as well. She’s just an absolute athlete all around, and one of those players that just wants to win, even if she’s still got a lot to learn.“ Overall, Roskelly expects nine players to rotate in and out of varsity spots. “It’s a lot less static this year. It’s a bit of a weird conglomerate. Last year it was eighth grade all the way, but this year we’ve got so many strong players from each grade.” Even those that don’t make varsity spots should still make a good showing, with Lily Parson and Emily Wilcox both competing for middle positions on the JV squad. Other girls who will most likely compete on the JV squad include Brooklyn Bradley, Stella Farrow, Reagan Green, Brooklyn Howard, and Ansley Wilbanks. With such a large team, it will be especially challenging to practice effectively, and Roskelly said even with practices spread out, due to restrictions, he believes a lot of learning will have to take place

during the matches themselves. “We can’t play against each other yet, and there’s a lot of things you can only learn by doing, so I think a lot of the learning that needs to be done will have to happen in the games. It’s a weird situation and we’ve never had anything like this happen before. We’ve got a long way to go just because of the circumstances of everything, but they’re looking pretty good. Adversity strikes when it does and there’s a ton of lessons you can learn from it. We have to acknowledge that things are different and work around it.” Still, even with such an uncertain future, Roskelly said he’s expecting good things. “I honestly think we’ll have a great year. We’ve got some great girls and some great kids that really work hard together. I think everybody is dealing with the same stuff we are. These girls enjoy each other and they work really well together, so hopefully they pull together for each other and figure things out. We work hard enough to win, and that’s our maxim: We’re here to win.”

Lake City Middle School 2020 Lady Lakers Roster NAME

GRADE

NAME

GRADE

KAROLINE ARENDER

REAGAN GREEN

LONNA BARNETTE

BROOKLYN HOWARD

DAKOTA BERLIN

KATELYNN KENNEDY

CAILEY BRADEN

LILY PARSON

MADDIE BRADEN

EMILY SILCOX

BROOKLYN BRADLEY

CLARA TOMLINSON

RYLEE BUCHANAN

COY TOMLINSON

EMERIE BULLOCK

NATALIE WARD

STELLA FARROW

ANSLEY WILBANKS

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Lake City Middle School 2020 Lady Lakers Schedule DATE

TIME

OPPONENT

LOCATION

8-11

4:30/5:30 P.M.

OLIVER SPRINGS

AWAY

8-13

4:30/5:30 P.M.

WYNN

AWAY

8-17

6:30 P.M.

JEFFERSON / ROBERTSVILLE

HOME

8-20

6:30 P.M.

JELLICO / WHITE OAK

AWAY

8-24

4:30/5:30 P.M.

LAFOLLETTE

HOME

8-27

4:30/5:30 P.M.

CLINTON

HOME

8-31

4:30/5:30 P.M.

JACKSBORO

HOME

9-3

4:30/5:30 P.M.

NORRIS

HOME

9-8

6:30 P.M.

JEFFERSON / ROBERTSVILLE

AWAY

9-10

6:30 P.M.

HMMS / ELK VALLEY

HOME

9-14

4:30/5:30 P.M.

CLINTON

AWAY

DOUBLE HEADERS ARE VARSITY GAME ONLY

Best of Luck this Season! ??????

Supporting arts and crafts in Appalachia through education, sales and community involvement

2716 Andersonville Hwy 61 • Clinton, TN 865.494.9854 • Appalachianarts.net

Hours: Monday - Saturday 10am-4pm

COURT IN SESSION

New (sorta) face will lead the Lady Senators in 2020 Megan Lyness has her work cut out for her this season as she finally takes the reins of Norris Volleyball after two years as an assistant to Coach Jeff Harshbarger, who retired this year to spend more time with his family. “I would like to think that he felt confident turning things over to me,” said Lyness. Lynes is inheriting a strong team who had a fair amount of success last year. “We have a pretty solid group of girls. We had a lot of girls who played last year as seventh-graders who are now eighth-graders. We have five eighth-graders that all played last year, so they’re a very, very solid core group that have really stepped up to mentor the younger girls. Assuming we have our season, we’re really looking forward to it.” That last sentence is a strong indication of the theme running through most programs across the state as COVID-19 restrictions put a damper on practices, scrimmages, and many of the other ways that coaches traditionally use to measure their teams’ readiness for the season. “We’ve started practices,” said Lyness, “but we can only practice so many girls at a time. We can only have 10 people in the gym, including myself. We have anywhere from eight to nine players in the gym for practice, and then me, and it really changes what our practices look like and how we run things. We can’t practice JV and varsity together, so I’m there for longer because we have to run multiple practices. I don’t have an assistant coach right now because

I don’t want to try to get one until we’re sure we’re moving forward. It’s a lot of time to put in if you’re not sure you’ll even have a season.” If the season does go ahead as planned, though, Norris has a full roster of talent to play this year, according to Lyness. “Catelynn Tackett was a starter last year as a seventh grader, and she’ll be starting as a setter this year. Jada Seiber is an eighth-grade hitter that had a growth spurt and her serve is an absolute killer. She’s a very strong player for us. Haven Swanner is an eighth-grader who will be our libero. She’s a tremendous player, and a very hard worker. She goes after absolutely everything, and just outworks everybody.

“We’re just trying to

maintain a steady program, but it’s hard. It’s especially hard for the seventh and eighth-grade kids who had Mr. Harshbarger as a coach. He’s really great and set a great precedent for our program to be really strong. ... We want to continue making great players both on and off the court.” — Megan Lyness 2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

“Ava Williams just started playing last year, but she showed so much improvement by the end of the year that she was playing for varsity. Zoey Rose is another that joined us last year from soccer. She’s a very athletic girl, and just very in tune with what she’s supposed to do. “She’s very volleyball aware and good about knowing where she’s supposed to be and what she’s supposed to be doing. “Ella Varner is another strong athlete and has been a standout so far. She’s really tall and her serve is great. We’re really excited to see what she does this year.” Norris has the smallest program between itself, Clinton, and Lake City, with five eighth-graders, seven seventh-graders, and five sixth-graders, but has an edge in that the incoming sixth-graders have more experience than they typically have in years past. “Normally when [sixth graders] come in, they don’t have any experience,” said Lyness, “but this year, most of our girls have played

at least some kind of club volleyball. That means they already know some of the basic things, and that’s awesome.” Even with extra experience, though, Norris faces a challenging year, between COVID-19 and a new coach, but Lyness says shes aware of the challenges both she and the program face, and she’s trying her best to face them head on. “We’re just trying to maintain a steady program, but it’s hard. It’s especially hard for the seventh-and eighth-grade kids who had Mr. Harshbarger as a coach. He’s really great and set a great precedent for our program to be really strong. We want to keep that going and keep our foundation strong so that we can give the girls who want to play in high school a very good chance at that. We want to continue making great players both on and off the court. Middle school is already a hard time for most of them, so we want them to have something they enjoy and can focus on that can give them some confidence.”

Norris Middle School 2020 Lady Senators Roster NAME

GRADE

NAME

GRADE

MEGYN TEMPLIN

ANAYA WITKOWSKI

ZOEY DEADERICK

MAKENZIE WILKERSON

ELLA VARNER

ELLE LONG

BETHANY LOWE

AVA WILLIAMS

DELANEY LONG

CATELYN TACKETT

SCARLETT SMITH

JADA SEIBER

JAYCEE PHILLIPS

ZOEY ROSE

RYLEE GREENE

HAVEN SWANNER

GRACIE JONES

COURT IN SESSION

Norris Middle School 2020 Lady Senators Schedule DATE

OPPONENT

LOCATION

8-13

CLINTON

AWAY

8-18

HORACE MAYNARD

AWAY

8-20

JACKSBORO

HOME

8-24

ROBERSTVILLE

AWAY

8-27

LAFOLLETTE

AWAY

8-31

NORWOOD

HOME

9-1

HORACE MAYNARD

HOME

9-3

LAKE CITY MIDDLE

AWAY

9-8

CLINTON

HOME

9-10

NORWOOD MIDDLE

AWAY

9-14

JACKSBORO MIDDLE

AWAY

9-15

JEFFERSON MIDDLE (DOUBLE HEADER)

HOME

9-17

LAFOLLETTE MIDDLE

HOME

????

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

EQUIPMENT RENTAL

LAWN & GARDEN + OUTDOOR LIVING

PAINT & PAINT SUPPLIES

Plumbing • Electrical Hardware • Housewares Propane Exchange • Key Programming & Cutting And Much More!

We Are More Than Just A Hardware Store! 929 N Charles Seivers Blvd., Clinton 865-457-1478 1110 E Tri County Blvd., Oliver Springs 865-435-7707

COURT IN SESSION

Lady Hawks keep building a winning reputation Clinton Middle School is moving full steam ahead with its volleyball season, despite the weirdness happening around the world. This is Head Coach Lorri Johnson’s second season with the Hawks, and she says things have improved tremendously. “I feel like we’re way ahead of where we were last year. We had a very successful young group last year with the junior varsity and that has paid off, so I feel like the volleyball is much higher than it has ever been.” Eight eighth-graders graduated from the team last year, six of whom went to Clinton High School. As of writing, the team sits at 18 players, with six eighth-graders, six seventh-graders, and six sixth-graders, but Johnson said that number might change, due to some students not being able to try out yet. “We’ve been tremendously effected by COVID-19,” said Johnson. “Would have normally had tryouts before school was out and then conditioned through June and had a camp and whole bunch of other things that just weren’t allowed this year. We should be way behind last year because we got to do that last year. It’s a lot of experience they’re not getting that they normally would, but we have to roll with things as they are. We’ve already had kids miss practice because someone in the family has been exposed or something. I appreciate the parents that have done that, and said, ‘We don’t know, but we’re going to be safe’ and put everyone’s health above the sport. The volleyball parents have been very good about keeping their kids home if they hav-

en’t felt good, and we’ve done our best to allowed for that. Mostly, we’re just thankful we get to play.” Several players should have an eye kept on them this season, according to Johnson, some for high-level play, and others to see how much they develop. “It’s early, but I have a setter, Josie Moody, that I feel like will develop into a high-level setter if she continues like she is now. I have two middle hitters that are back from last year and doing a solid job. “Their names are Ellie Murrell and Shelby Kelly, and they’re improving by leaps and bounds.

“These kids are excit-

ed. They’re learning, they work hard every day, and the administration is behind us. We want to bring Clinton High School competitive players so that they, too, can be competitive every year. We just hope everybody will come out, bring a mask, and watch us play.” — Lorri Johnson 2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

“I have some outside hitters, Addi Gamble and Lanee Carmichael, that are going to be able to really swing away. Lily Starr will be the team’s libero. Keagan Scaggs and Ali Holifield are two more, they’re coming on stronger every day and can play multiple different roles. Finally, Alissa Myers is the rightside hitter. Truthfully, they’re all improving by leaps and bounds.” Alyssa Vincent, a junior varsity player from last year, will be this year’s JV leader, and the rest of the team are new players. Johnson has high hopes for the season, despite the changes this year. “Our goal is to win our district. We were competitive last year, even though we didn’t quite beat Norris, but we hope to take it up a notch and upset some people who are used to winning those games. That’s our goal. Last year was the first year that Clinton has been that successful and it was nice, but we’re always trying to do better.” Johnson said that she and her assistant coach have changed the way volleyball is coached at Clinton, and she thinks that’s had a large impact on the success they found last season. “This is my second season here, but there’s been a lot more consistency in their fundamentals and technique. I’m a very de-

tailed coach and so is my assistant, and we work together to make sure their technique is sound. There’s always room for improvement, but they have the knowledge they need. We’re doing our best to make sure they get off with good habits and don’t have to be corrected later on. That should bring the consistency for us to be good play after play, and that’s what you need in volleyball. It’s not enough to be good some of the time, you have to be consistently good point after point after point, and that’s what I hope will separate us from other programs.” Overall, between a coach entering her second season at the school and a program that is finally starting to find its footing and see its hard work pay off, it should be an interesting season to watch for the Hawks, and both the players and coaches seem to be entering the season with long-term goals in mind. “These kids are excited,” said Johnson. “They’re learning, they work hard every day, and the administration is behind us. We want to bring Clinton High School competitive players so that they, too, can be competitive every year. We just hope everybody will come out, bring a mask, and watch us play.”

Clinton Middle School 2020 Lady Hawks Roster NO.

NAME

LANEE CARMICHAEL

NO.

NAME

ALYSSA MEIER

KEAGAN SCAGGS

SHELBY KELLY

ELLIE MURRELL

ALI HOLIFIELD

MCKENZIE CRISP

ADDI GAMBLE

LILLY STARR

JOSIE MOODY

COURT IN SESSION

GRADE

The CMS Lady Hawks dive for a ball during the JV game against Norris Middle to begin the 2020 season. The Lady Hawks started the new season at 2-0.

Clinton Middle School 2020 Lady Hawks Schedule DATE

TIME

OPPONENT

8-10

4:30/5:30 P.M.

JACKSBORO

AWAY

8-13

5/6 P.M.

NORRIS

HOME

8-17

5/6 P.M.

LAFOLLETTE

HOME

8-20

4:30/5:30 P.M.

JEFFERSON

AWAY

8-24

4:30/5:30 P.M.

HMMS

AWAY

8-27

4:30/5:30 P.M.

LAKE CITY

AWAY

9-1

5/6 P.M.

JACKSBORO

HOME

9-3

5/6 P.M.

ROBERTSVILLE

HOME

9-8

4:30/5:30 P.M.

NORRIS

AWAY

9-10

4:30/5:30 P.M.

LAFOLLETTE

AWAY

9-15

5/6 P.M.

HMMS

HOME

LOCATION

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Norwood prepares for first year with Courtney Vandevander Norwood Middle School is gearing up for its first season with new coach Courtney Vandevander, and assistant coach Grace Isbel. Vandevander, director for the family resource center at Norwood, took over after the departure of the previous coach, despite little background with the sport. “Right before school started, we came to school one day and they said they didn’t have a volleyball coach,” she said. “When I found out the students might not have a team, I took it up because I love the students. We did have another staff member going to do it but she ended up accepting a soccer coaching position at Oliver Springs High School. I’ve really fallen in love with the game, though. I don’t have much experience coaching volleyball but I have reached out to many wonderful people who have stepped in to help our team including staff members and the wonderful Bryant family from my church.” Still even with little formal coaching experience, Vandevander says that she’s pleased with where the team is. “They’re doing great. They’re doing really great, and I think by midseason, we’re going to be strong competitors.” The team will need to be strong competitors, facing off against the likes of Lake City and Norris, and Vandevander admitted that Lake City will probably be the hardest game they play this season. Vandevander said she has really good players across the grades, with eighth-grader Lilly Hill leading the team at serving. Seventh-grader Elizabeth Maples is another strong server, and great on the court, and

COURT IN SESSION

sixth-grader Haylee Rat is a well-rounded player. “All of them are greath, though. I want to say they’re all standouts,” said Vanevander. The team is relatively small, with only 11 players total, and made up of four eighth-graders, three seventh-graders, and four sixth-graders. The varsity captain this year is Jaylin Edwards, and the captain for the junior varsity will be Katelyn Foust. Many of the other positions haven’t been decided upon yet, according to Vandevander, but the setters will be Lily Hill, Isabella Rice, Natalie White, and Elizabeth Maples. They team has stayed relatively unaffected by COVID-19 according to Vandevander,

“Right now, we are

working on team unity and teamwork, and I think that’s going to be a strong thing. Anytime someone on the court lets a ball hit the court without going for it, they all have to run laps, so they’re bonding as a team. What really stands out, though, is that they’re developing a heart for the game.” — Courtney Vandevander

not having to limit the number of players they accepted like many other schools have, and simply making sure they’re staying inside the CDC guidelines and wearing masks. Mostly, though, Vandevander says that she’s working on trying to change the team’s mindset. “We’re working on being winners this year. That’s our chant, actually: ‘I’m a winner. We are winners. We are going to win.’ We’re developing them as young ladies to

be winners in life, winners in volleyball, and not get bogged down by what’s around them because they’ve been used to losing before. We’re trying to change their mindset. “Right now, we are working on team unity and teamwork, and I think that’s going to be a strong thing. Anytime someone on the court lets a ball hit the court without going for it, they all have to run laps, so they’re bonding as a team. What really stands out, though, is that they’re developing a heart for the game.”

Norwood Middle School’s Lady Jaguars traveled to Elk Valley for an early season game.

Norwood Middle School 2020 Lady Jaguars Roster NO.

NAME

NO.

NAME

HARMONY ARMSTRONG*

BELLA ORTIZ

JAYLIN EDWARDS*

ELIZABETH MAPLES*

ANNA CAULDWELL

LILY HILL*

HAILEIGH WHITE

MADDY WRIGHT

KATELYN FOUST*

NATALIE WHITE

ISABELLA RICE*

???

GRADE

*STARTING VARSITY

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Norwood Middle School 2020 Lady Jaguars Schedule DATE

OPPONENT

LOCATION

8-17

OLIVER SPRINGS

HOME

8-18

LAKE CITY

HOME

8-20

ELK VALLEY

AWAY

8-24

OLIVER SPRINGS

AWAY

8-27

LAKE CITY

AWAY

9-1

JELLICO

AWAY

9-3

WHITE OAK

AWAY

9-10

NORRIS

HOME

9-15

ELK VALLEY

HOME

9-17

JELLICO / WHITE OAK

HOME

Ray Varner IS WISHING THE VERY BEST

All Students and Student Athletes FOR

For The 2020-2021 School Year!

2020 Mustang EcoBoost® Convertible

Come See Us For All Your Needs! Sales, Service, Parts & Quick Lane

8 6 5 - 4 5 7- 0 7 0 4 | r a y v a r n e r f o r d . c o m

COURT IN SESSION

Wishing All Teams a Successful & Healthy Season!

Good Luck Ladys!

You serve it. We’ve got you covered.

MYCOURIERNEWS.COM

Subscribe Today! Call (865) 457-2515 28

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Bethany Lowe serves the ball for Norris during the JV game against Clinton Middle.

COURT IN SESSION

Brooklyn Blisard, the Lady Dragon libero, makes a play in the first week of action. Lady Dragon Head Coach Susan Zellner (background) looks on.

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW

Anderson County junior Erin Cantrell skies for a ball during the first week of play of the 2020 season.

COURT IN SESSION

OUTFOX THE

COMPETITION!

Highlander Camry

Tacoma

USED CAR INVENTORY REDUCTION CONTINUES

WE BUY YOUR USED CARS

Even if you’re not in the market for a new one or trading for a new one.

2 2 8 Fox Family Lane | Clinton | (8 65) 4 9 4 -02 2 8

For more New and Pre-Owned Cars go to FoxToyotaClinton.com

2020 VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW