East Hamilton will play for state crown

East Hamilton’s seventh trip to the TSSAA volleyball state tournament has been magical for the Lady Hurricanes.

Coach Antonela Suzuki’s team has a chance to make history Friday, when it takes on Hume-Fogg in the Class AA final at 2 p.m. Eastern at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro. A win for the Lady Hurricanes would clinch the high school’s first state championship in any sport.

East Hamilton (31-5) improved to 3-0 in Murfreesboro this week with a thrilling fiveset victory over Dyer County, 25-23, 25-23, 10-25, 20-25, 15-12, in a semifinal Thursday afternoon.

McKenna Hayes, who has committed to Appalachian State for basketball, finished with 17 kills, 15 digs, four aces and a trio of blocks to lead the Lady Hurricanes. Fellow East Hamilton seniors Maddie Allen and Amya Sutton each added a dozen kills and combined for 29 digs.

Sophomore setter Tristin Sutton starred with 47 assists, and freshman Georgia Dobson had nine kills and combined for six blocks with junior Morgan Bone.

Hume-Fogg (35-7) stands in the way of a historic win for East Hamilton. The Lady Blue Knights have won four straight matches in the elimination bracket since a five-set loss to Anderson County in the opening round Tuesday morning.

Three other Chattanooga-area volleyball programs had their seasons end on day three at state.

Cleveland (38-13) lost in the Class AAA semifinals to Ravenwood, which won 25-17, 25-18-25, 25-16, and the Lady Blue Raiders were knocked out late Thursday night by Nolensville, which won 25-17, 25-21, 20-25, 25-19. Cleveland beat Nolensville in five sets in the first round Tuesday.

Coach Amy McGowan’s program should return most of its top talent next year, led by sisters Addie and Lauren Hurst along with Kinslee McGowan.

Class AA’s Signal Mountain’s fell to Hume-Fogg, which won 25-18, 26-24, 25-14. The Lady Eagles showed fight this season by battling back from a 4-13 start to finish 18-18. The program has a bright future with sophomores Addy Jones, Dillia Lowry and Emily Redman returning, along with freshman star Carlee Lowry.

Class A’s Sale Creek was ousted by South Greene, which won 25-11, 25-16, 25-17. The Lady Panthers (30-13) had a roster stocked with underclassmen this season while also deploying a standout eighth grader at setter.