Lady Choctaws make it a district four-peat

The Dyer County volleyball team poses with the District 13AA hardware following the Lady Choctaws' three-set sweep of Crockett County in the championship game on Thursday night in Newbern.

Photo/Jason Peevyhouse

By JASON PEEVYHOUSE

Sports Editor

For the fourth time in as many seasons since moving down to Class AA, the Lady Choctaw volleyball team is the last ones standing following the District 13AA Tournament as Dyer County swept Crockett County in the District 13AA Championship Game for the second straight year and third time in four seasons on Thursday night in Newbern.

Five Dyer County players received individual honors following the District 13AA Championship Game on Thursday night in Newbern. Members of the Lady Choctaws honored were (from left) Emma Wray (All-District, All-Tournament), Teagan Reed (All-Academic, District 13AA Co-Most Valuable Player, District 13AA Tournament Most Valuable Player), Rylee Key (District 13AA Co-Most Valuable Player, All-Tournament) Ava Huke (All-District) and Briley Abair (All-Academic). Not pictured: District 13AA Coach of the Year Dyer County's Shanna O'Bright

Photo/Jason Peevyhouse

“We played a really good game tonight and I am proud of them,” Dyer County Head Coach Shanna O’Bright said. “They just stayed the course and did what they were supposed to do.”

Dyer County gave up some points early on the serving line but a trio of kills from Rylee Key and another from Teagan Reed kept the Lady Cavaliers in check. Reed’s kill did spark a quick run which was capped by a Briley Abair ace moments late to build a three-point lead, the largest by either team to that point. A Blair Acree block helped add to the Dyer County lead after a Crockett County rally. Kierstyn Ray’s back-to-back helped found a run which saw the Lady Choctaws build an 18-10 lead. The Lady Choctaws put the set away with an Evie Rogers ace followed by kills from Ava Huke and Reed to take a 25-13 win in the opening set.

The second set was pretty close in the early going much like the opening set. A Reed tip and a Huke block helped create some distance for the Lady Choctaws. Dyer County was able to build a six-point lead after an Emma Wray ace and a Reed kill. But, Crockett County rallied and kept it close late. But, Dyer County got a Reed kill later in the set then an Abair ace to end the set with a 25-23 win in the second frame.

Five Dyersburg players received individual honors following the District 13AA Championship Game on Thursday night in Newbern. Members of the Lady Trojans honored were (from left) Preslee Quertermous (All-Academic, All-District, All-Tournament), Addie Gatlin (All-Academic, All-District), Kyla Fowlkes (All-Academic), Kalli Maclin (All-Academic, All-District), and Kate Schroeder (All-Academic).

Photo/Jason Peevyhouse

Three kills from Key early in the third set pushed Dyer County to an early 7-2 lead. A Wray block and kill along with a Reed ace built the Lady Choctaw lead to 13-5. The led swelled to 18-7 after back-to-back kills from Key as the Lady Choctaws cruised to a 25-14 win in the third set to take the match and the district championship.

With the District 13AA Tournament over so comes the end of the district schedule. For the second straight season and third time in four years, Lady Choctaws finished their district games with an unbeaten record and, in fact, have only lost one district game in four seasons.

“I’m just so proud of them for how hard they worked,” O’Bright explained. “They deserve this. They deserve all of this.”

With three days until the Lady Choctaws take the court against Bolivar on the Lady Tigers homecourt on Monday at 5 p.m. in the Region 7AA Semifinals, Dyer County’s head coach said the plan for the days leading up to the win-or-go home match in Hardeman County is to practice and get better. The winner of the region semifinals will not only advance to the Region 7AA title match the following day but to the TSSAA Class AA Sectional Round on Thursday with a trip to the state tournament on the line in that round.