Summertown bounces back after first loss of year

By Chris Yow

SUMMERTOWN — Following their first loss of the season in the championship game of the Lawrence County Border Battle over the weekend, Summertown bounced back Monday, defeating Spring Hill in straight sets 25-14, 25-18, 25-6.

After falling to Murfreesboro Central Magnet in the championship game of the Saturday tournament, Lady Eagles coach Andrea Kelly said her team was ready to be back on the court.

“When we have our legs under us, we’re a pretty good team,” she said. “Sometimes we can ride a rollercoaster, we have our ups and downs; we are focusing on pushing through the lows every game. We have to not let our guard down after a good set.”

Following a dominant first set, the hosts allowed Spring Hill to gain momentum in the second. The Lady Raiders held a 16-15 lead when Summertown rolled off a 10-2 run to put the set away. That low point of the rollercoaster was quickly followed by a high, as the Lady Eagles cruised to a third-set win to put the match away.

2019 State Tournament MVP Katie Burdette led the way with eight kills and four blocks, while Miya Cole Brown and Rylee Long added four kills each as well. Carlee Emerson dished out 23 assists for her teammates.

Defending Class A state champion Summertown improved to 10-1 on the season, their only loss coming in the weekend tournament finale, one Kelly said was a teachable moment for her team.

“We needed a ‘learning loss’,” she said. “We haven’t been allowed to play weekend tournaments outside of our county, and that was the first one. We’d beaten (Murfreesboro Central) pretty easy earlier that day, but it was our fifth match of the day, and we hadn’t played five in a day before that. We needed it.”

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