CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Soddy Daisy pushed Bradley Central to the limit Monday night before the Bearettes won the Region 3-AAA volleyball championship in five sets at Bradley Central High School’s Jim Smiddy Arena in Cleveland.
Match scores were 25-22, 15-25, 26-24, 16-25 and 15-8. The final was a rematch of the District 6 championship from a week earlier, when Bradley swept the Lady Trojans in three straight sets.
Both teams reached the title match with sweeps on Monday. Bradley defeated Rhea County 25-18, 25-20 and 25-19, while Soddy Daisy beat Cleveland 25-17, 25-16 and 25-17 to set up the rematch.
Soddy Daisy led much of the opening set before Bradley tied it at 21-21 on back-to-back blocks and pulled away. The Lady Trojans answered by taking charge of the second set, leading 13-7 and 19-12 before closing it out. Bradley led 18-12 in the third set before Soddy Daisy rallied to tie it at 22, but the Bearettes took that set 26-24. Soddy Daisy forced a fifth set with a 25-16 fourth, and Bradley closed the match 15-8.
Bradley improved to 35-5 and will host a sectional match Thursday against an opponent to be determined, the first time the program has hosted a sectional. The winner advances to the state tournament in Murfreesboro next week.
Soddy Daisy, now 21-12, will play its sectional match on the road Thursday. The school serves Soddy-Daisy, an incorporated city at the far north end of Hamilton County along the western shore of Chickamauga Lake. Lady Trojans coach Marjorie Smith called it probably her team’s best match of the season. Bradley coach Christy McElhaney, who is retiring at the end of her 28th season, gets one more home match.
