CCHS Volleyball Beats MTCS

TONY STINNETT, Courier Co-Editor


Cannon County's volleyball team notched a win against MTCS, before falling to Gordonsville and Warren County during action on the court this week.

The week started with the Lionettes turning back MTCS in a tri-match at Robert A. Harris Gymnasium. Cannon County enjoyed outstanding serving, passing and calling to capture the win.

"The girls played hard and it was win we needed to get," Cannon County coach Sila Kailiponi said. "It was a team win with everyone contributing and helping us get the result we expected."

Cannon County dropped the second match against Gordonsville. The Lionettes were competitive early but stumbled down the stretch.

"Gordonsville is an experienced team and they had great coverage so we were not getting much by them," Kailiponi said. "We just finally ran out of steam."

The Lionettes had a mixed result against Warren County Thursday (Sept. 15). They lost the varsity match against Warren County but won the JV contest.

Warren County swept the varsity match, winning easily in the first two games before Cannon County put up more of a fight in the third game.

"Hannah Faulkner worked hard and made some improvements on her sets in the third game," Kailiponi said. "Our older players also came back and played much better and that is always important. We need our more experienced players to play well."

Ariana Kailiponi served 16 straight points to give Cannon County a 25-5 win in the first game of the JV match. Coach Kailiponi played younger, less experienced players in the second game and the Lionettes secured a hard-fought 25-23 win.

Strong passing and big hits from Rebekah Faulkner and Paulani Tarawa keyed the win. Hannah Faulkner and Ariana Kailiponi had outstanding sets to lead to easy points. The Lionettes feature a young lineup but the team has been competitive and the future appears bright.

"Being competitive is all I ask from these girls," Kailiponi said. "Coaching these girls has taught me a lot of patience and to be more compassionate. I can be ahrd but these girls know I care about them and love them, win or lose. They continue to improve so I'm proud of them."