Merrol Hyde Magnet School's volleyball team swept Bledsoe County 3-0 in the TSSAA Class A state quarterfinals Tuesday, Oct. 20, in Murfreesboro.
The Hawks won all three sets by comfortable margins, 25-17, 25-17 and 25-18, at Rockvale High School. The victory sends Merrol Hyde into the state semifinals. The Hawks are in the state tournament for the second consecutive year after rallying past Loretto in the sectional round to punch their return ticket to Murfreesboro, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee.
Senior Jena Wright, the team's only senior and a Marymount University commit, led the way for the Hawks in the quarterfinal sweep, Blaine Kellar of Main Street Preps wrote on X. Wright's high school career continues for at least one more match as the Hawks look to extend their postseason run deeper into the bracket.
The quarterfinal win caps a dominant stretch for Merrol Hyde. The Hawks repeated as District 9-A champions after sweeping Harpeth for the district title Oct. 6, according to Main Street Media. They then fought back from behind against Loretto in the sectional, turning a reverse sweep into a state tournament berth.
Merrol Hyde faces Summertown in the Class A state semifinals Wednesday, Oct. 21, at noon at Rockvale High School. Summertown also swept its quarterfinal opponent, beating South Greene 3-0 with set scores of 25-14, 25-18 and 25-23.
The other Class A semifinal pits CSLA against Eagleville at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The Class A championship match is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23, at 10 a.m. at Middle Tennessee State University, according to the Tennessean.
A win Wednesday would put the Hawks two victories from a state title and give Wright one more chance to compete in a Merrol Hyde uniform.
