GRAY DEYOSports Writer

The Tullahoma Wildcats’ volleyball team started the season with four wins in their first five games for the first time since 2020. This group plays together well and definitely has the makings of a team that could accomplish a lot in 2025.

Grundy County

After a 3-0 win against Lawrence County, the Wildcats grabbed another dominant win. They hit the road away from THS and picked up a 3-1 win against Grundy County. In that game, the ‘Cats lost the first set 25-22, and swept the last three sets, winning 25-19, 25-21, and 25-18.

Some key players in this matchup were junior Gabbi Gardner and senior Maggie Lynch. Gardner was the dynamo offensively for Tullahoma, posting a team-high nine kills. She showed off her versatility as a player by picking up five of the nine kills on her serve. Her team was able to string together a ton of points when she got her opportunity in serving–she had a game-high of 25 serves attempted.

Lynch was the backbone defensively for Tullahoma in the match. She led the team with 11 digs.

Columbia Central

The Wildcats got some great experience on August 26th, in playing one of the better high school teams in the state of TN, in Columbia Central. They lost the match 3-0, with the set scores being 25-15, 25-11, and 25-17. The Lady Lions look to be much improved from a season to go, where they finished 13-9. They are currently 7-1 on the season and are first in their district with a 2-0 record.

This is a great game for Tullahoma, who have a lot of young talent on its roster, to get a grasp of what the competition could look like when it comes to postseason play.

Senior Gabriella Dacosta and sophomore Emily Bell were the two kill leaders in this game for the Lady Wildcats, Bell with five and Dacosta with seven.

Forrest

The Wildcats won an extremely close game against Forrest High School 3-2. The set scores went as follows: 25-20, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21, and 15-13.

The Lady Wildcats were able to grind out their fifth win of the season with contributions coming from a number of players. They continue to play as a team and win in numerous ways. They will play two games next week against Moore County and Rival Coffee County Central. They play the Raiders on Sept 3 and the Red Raiders on the 4th.