By Thomas Sellers Jr.
ARLINGTON — Standing in one corner, from the public school ranks of District 15-3A, the Arlington Lady Tigers.
And in the other corner, from the mean streets of private schools and representing Division II West Region, the Tipton-Rosemark Academy Lady Rebels. The heavyweight battle Sept. 11 in the Arlington Gymnasium provided both teams a chance to sharpen up their skills for their league foes and an October run.
Despite some TRA highlights, the Lady Tigers were victorious in three sets 25-15, 25-14 and 25-18.
“We have a great group and we are senior heavy,” Arlington Head Coach Kenzie Cooley noted. “We have a good group of leaders and a good group of young kids. They all love being around each other and working hard. They’re easy to coach and be around.”
Arlington seniors Zoe McDaniel, Sarah Bandi, Sydney Harper, Sally Stevens, Josie Villarreal, Zoe Torian, Graci Harris and Gabby Krepela are the leaders on and off the court for the Lady Tigers.
Some of the 12th graders joined forces that Monday afternoon against TRA with freshmen Addison Harris and Zaria Moss to fight off the challenge of the Lady Rebels.
“They are our two freshmen who have shown up and shown out,” Cooley declared. “They have a very, very bright future.”
It was a junior who paced the Lady Tigers to victory in the opening set. The Lady Rebels were ahead 11-10 when Campbell Funk gained control of the serve. Arlington surged ahead 17-13 to seize competitive control. Moss put the finishing touches on the first frame with a spike to help Arlington win 25-15.
The Lady Tigers jumped out early in the second set 8-1 with Harris serving multiple aces. With TRA trailing 16-5, Lady Rebel senior Lydia Harvey tried to spark her team with a tip to end the Arlington rally. Harvey put together three straight aces to make the tally 16-9.
The Lady Tigers regrouped behind Karlin Lott at libero and Krepela executed a kill. Arlington prevailed 25-14.
The third set was going back and forth with Arlington nursing a 9-8 advantage. Krepela slapped down a spike that sparked a 5-0 run for the Lady Tigers.
McDaniel and her ninth grade teammate Harris seized control of the net with spikes to help the Arlington lead grow to 17-12. In the closing moments of the match, Harris had two kills and closed out the game with an ace.
“We compete everyday in practice,” Cooley noted. “We base everything on that, on who is going to play and how we’re producing in practice for the games. The younger kids have been pushing the older kids, and the older kids have been pushing the younger kids. It’s a really, really fun competitive atmosphere.”
The Lady Rebels and Head Coach Mischa Butler left Arlington with another lesson to enrich their efforts in Division II-A. Meanwhile the Lady Tigers took another step toward competing with the likes of Bartlett, Houston, Collierville and others.
“I think we have all the ability to beat the other teams in our district,’ Cooley concluded. “Its going to come down to consistency and who is performing the best at the right moments. Who is pushing the boundaries at the right time, who is the most aggressive. You can’t play intimidated.”
