Lady Longhorns enter tournament week

And idle week is a misleading description of the Johnson County volleyball team's final week of the regular season. The fifth-seeded Longhorns (4-19) were to open District 1-AA tournament play against No. 4 seed Greeneville on Monday (Oct. 5) at 5:30 p.m. at Chuckey-Doak, and Johnson County spent last week going back to the basics in preparation. "With no matches this past week, we were able to spend valuable time fine-tuning some important skills, including picking up tips, reading hitters, moving into defensive positions and competitive serving," first-year head coach Kris Hagaman said. "Improving those small details can make a big difference for us in the postseason." The Johnson County-Greeneville winner was to take on top-seeded Sullivan East on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The loser will play the loser of Chuckey-Doak (3) and Unicoi County (6) in an elimination match on Wednesday at 6 p.m. "Like many teams in our conference, Greenville has some big hitters who are capable of hitting over our block," Hagaman said. "Because of that, reading the hitter, anticipating where the ball is going and moving well defensively will be absolutely critical. We will need to rely on our preparation, communication, energy and ability to play together as a team. "We are excited for the challenge and looking forward to the best day of the week – Game Day." The Longhorns junior varsity team's season came to an end with a tournament loss to Chuckey-Doak on Saturday. The teams had split a pair of regular season matches. "I am extremely proud of the growth and development this team showed throughout the season," Hagaman said. "These girls are the future of our program, and I am excited to see how they continue to develop over the next few years. I know there are great things ahead for this group."