GRAY DEYOSports Writer

After dropping four games in a row, the Tullahoma volleyball team found some success over the weekend, getting victories over Centennial and Community High School.

Centennial High School

Tullahoma played a total of four games on Sept 20, as they participated in the CCCHS Varsity tournament. They lost their first matchup against Bledsoe County, losing 2-1, and then got their first win of the day against Centennial, winning 2-0. They won the sets 25-13 and 25-18.

A couple of players who stood out in this contest were senior Gabriella Dacosta and sophomore Avanley Metcalf. Dacosta led the team in kills in the contest with four, and Metcalf led the team in assists with 12. The Lady Wildcats collectively played a lot cleaner in this game. They averaged just six errors in each set. This is a huge improvement from their game about a week ago against Fayetteville, where they had 70 errors through five sets.

Community High School

Tullahoma followed their win against Centennial with a 2-1 win against Community High School. The set scores were 25-14, 23-25, and 15-13.

Through the shortened three-set contest in tournament play, two ‘Cats claimed seven kills or more. That was sophomore Emily Bell, who led the team with eight, and junior Gabbi Gardner, who had seven kills.

A couple of Tullahoma players contributed to the win with their serves in the match. Dacosta had three aces in the game, and sophomore Adalyn Nelson had two aces.

Tullahoma followed their second consecutive win with a 2-0 loss to Eagleville High School. Their next opponents on their schedule are Shelbyville Central on Sept 23, and Forrest High School on the 24th. They have already played both schools one time each this season, winning each game 3-2.

A look at a former player’s season

Isabella Lidstrom, a 2025 graduate, committed to play volleyball at Johnson University last summer, and she is in the midst of an impressive freshman season.

At Tullahoma, Lidstrom holds the record for most kills all time and most kills in a single season, and so far, she is bringing that same skill set and then some to the Lady Royals program. Johnson University, through 14 games so far in their 2025 campaign, have an 11-3 record. Through the 10 games Lidstrom has played, she has recorded 36 kills, which ranks fifth on the team.