TFS Athletics
The historic season ended in the best way possible, as Tallulah Falls secured the GHSA Class A Division I state championship in a 3-1 win over Mt. Bethel on Friday in Cartersville.
Each point was intense, and Tallulah Falls took the opening set and momentum. After Mt. Bethel knotted it up at a set apiece, the No. 2-ranked Lady Indians won the final two sets to claim the title.
The first set was a 25-20 win for TFS. Sarah Jennings started off the match with a kill, but the Lady Indians fell behind as Mt. Bethel pulled ahead 5-1, forcing a Lady Indians timeout. Addy McCoy and Kitty Rodenas had kills to pull within 9-11 and Mt. Bethel had to regroup with a timeout of its own. Jennings notched another kill, and Elsa Sanchez recorded an ace for a 15-14 lead. McCoy’s ace moments later and Jennings’ kill had TFS up 19-16, again forcing the Lady Eagles to call time. McCoy and Rodenas added aces, and a Jennings kill capped the set at 25-20.
The second set went to Mt. Bethel by in a 27-25 thriller. Back and forth it went before a Jennings ace and Sanchez kill had TFS up 5-4 early. Mt. Bethel went on a run to go ahead 14-9, and the Lady Indians trailed by seven later before pulling back to within 20-21. Sanchez tied it with an ace, and McCoy did the same at 23-all. McCoy’s kill also knotted it up at 24 apiece before the Lady Eagles secured the set win to level the match.
In the third, TFS again trailed early, going down by four. McCoy recorded a pivotal kill and Sanchez an ace to get within 7-9, though Mt. Bethel went up 12-7 to force Tallulah Falls into a timeout. Jennings was unstoppable from there, recording four aces out of the break, and McCoy’s pair of aces helped TFS go on a monster run that reached 16-0. During the run, Jennings had over half a dozen kills, and McCoy had several aces at serve. That 16-0 serving run had the Lady Indians up for good, and a Jennings kill polished off the set with a 25-14 win to put Mt. Bethel at the brink.
In the finale, TFS worked for every point. Jennings and Sofia Rueda had early kills for a slim lead, and Jennings later added a spike and ace, followed by another kill to take a 6-5 advantage. Sanchez had some big spikes, and Jennings continued to dominate. Rodenas had an ace later to get TFS up 16-13 and sparking a Mt. Bethel timeout. Tallulah Falls wouldn’t relinquish the lead, and back-to-back aces by McCoy sent the TFS fans into a frenzy as the Lady Indians secured the 25-20 match-clinching win.
Unofficially, Jennings had 22 kills, Sanchez 12, and McCoy 10. McCoy had 13 aces, Sanchez four, Rodenas three, and two by Jennings.
The Lady Indians beat their eighth state-ranked foe, and ended the season at 35-11 overall and will finish as the No. 1-ranked team in the state. It is the team’s first state championship, and the run culminated with 10 straight wins.