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The Tullahoma middle school volleyball team fell at the hands of the Coffee County middle school to take their first loss of the year.

Before that match on Thursday, the Lady ‘Cats beat the Lady Eagles from Harris Middle. They beat Harris in two straight sets, making their record 3-0 with them, having won every set so far. They won the first set against Harris 25-20. The Lady Eagles controlled the serve to begin the game, but the Lady ‘Cats took control after the opening serve and scored the first six points of the match. Their opponent answered back, grabbing five of the next eight points to make it 9-5. The two teams traded serve back and forth a few times before Tullahoma had another run. The run with Genia Stephens serving gave the Lady ‘Cats an 18-10 lead. Harris did not go on a run of their own until it was 23-15, when they were able to take the next five points and bring it to 23-20. It was too little too late for the Lady Eagles, as Tullahoma took the next point and then won the point off of Kayleigh Campbell’s serve to take the first set. The second set was very similar to the first, Tullahoma took an early led and refused to give it up. Joslynn Lidstrom began the set with serve control and led the Lady Wildcats to the first five points. The team too 14 of the next 19 points, holding a commanding 19-6 lead. Harris attempted to make a comeback earning three straight points. Tullahoma responded with two straight. Then the teams traded three point runs, making it 24-12. The Lady Wildcats won the next point off of the Lady Eagles serve to win the set 25-12 and win the match 2-0.

Later in the week the Lady ‘Cats travelled to Manchester for their first road game of the season and lost in heartbreaking fashion. Tullahoma won the back-and-forth first set 25-23. The two teams traded serve control, with Tullahoma having the only two points won with control of serve to start the set 6-5. After taking control of the serve again, they went on a run that had them win seven straight points with Stephens serving for six of those points. Then the teams traded serves again, getting the score to 18-9. The Lady Raiders put their own run together at that point, winning five straight points and bringing their deficit to just two, 18-16. Then they took three of the next four points to tie the set up at 19. Neither team pulled away as they split the next eight points and stayed tied 23-23. Tullahoma won the next point off of the Coffee County serve. Then after the Lady Raiders timeout, the Lady ‘Cats won the point off of Emily Bell’s serve and won an exciting set 25-23.

The two teams played another exciting set that ended 26-24 in favor of Coffee County. The Lady Raiders began the set with control of serve, but the Lady Wildcats won the first four points, with three coming behind the serves of Lidstrom. After that neither team really went on a run until Coffee County won six straight points to bring the score in the set to 15-14 with Tullahoma still leading. The Lady ‘Cats took six of the next seven to bring their lead to 21-15, before the Lady Raiders last timeout of the set. The adjustments made during the timeout were effective, as they earned five of the next seven points. With the score 23-20, Tullahoma called their last timeout of the set. Immediately after the timeout they won the next point to make it 24-20, needing only one more point to win the set and the match. Then the Lady Raiders won the next six points, to win the set 26-24 and force a third tiebreaker set. The tiebreaker set is played to 15 instead of 25. The set began with Coffee County serving, and they took control of the set, winning the first eight points. The Lady Wildcats earned their first point of the set before immediately giving up another three points to the Lady Raiders to make the score 11-1. Tullahoma finally answered with six straight points, five while Adalyn Nelson was serving. They two teams traded serve a couple of times, making it 14-9. Then Coffee County won the set and match on the next point, on the serve from their libero. After the match, many of the girls on the team were visably disappointed.

The Lady ‘Cats will look to get back to winning Thursday when they travel to play South at 6 p.m.