A night of Upsets

Brynlee Chisam’s serving was clutch down the stretch for Westwood Tuesday night.

There wasn't just one upset Tuesday night at McMinnville Church of God. There were two.

Westwood Church of Christ climbed squarely into the championship conversation with a pair of straight-set victories, while McMinnville Church of God handed previously unbeaten Rock Island Church of Christ its first loss of the season, sending the Church League Volleyball standings into a frenzy.

By the end of the night, the Old Testament Athletes had reclaimed first place without even stepping on the court.

Westwood did all the heavy lifting on its climb. The squad opened the evening with a 25-22, 25-21 victory over Rolling Acres BIC before coming back three hours later to knock off the Cross Denominators 25-22 and 25-19. The pair of wins pushed Westwood to 6-2, vaulting the team into third place.

Depth has become one of Westwood's biggest strengths.

With enough players to rotate fresh legs throughout the night, the group never seemed to run out of energy despite playing in both the first and final matches Tuesday. A star-studded lineup answered the call from start to finish.

Team captain Samantha Jennings controlled the middle throughout the night, mixing blistering serves with perfectly timed dump shots to keep the Cross Denominators guessing. Lola Wells, fresh off another all-district season at WCHS, was everywhere, digging balls in the back row, hammering attacks from both sides and putting together serving runs that swung momentum.

Ella Wells, Brynlee Chisam and setter Brittany McGee also turned in strong performances, while Westwood's revolving door of outside hitters, including Luke Simpson, Carter Simpson and veteran Jeff Vance, helped carry the team over the finish line in the second set of the nightcap.

The final matchup featured clash after clash at the net as Westwood's army of hitters tried to solve Cross Denominators standout Nick Cantrell. The 6-foot-7 blocker got his hands on plenty of attacks, but Westwood refused to back down, continuing to swing aggressively until it broke through for one of the biggest wins of the season.

The Cross Denominators slipped to fourth place at 4-2 with the loss.

The standings were shaken again just an hour earlier when McMinnville Church of God knocked Rock Island Church of Christ from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 25-19, 25-21 victory.

McMinnville Church of God has quietly become one of the league's biggest wild cards.

Cameron and Josh Moore once again led the charge, with Josh Moore delivering the set-clinching serve in the opener. Anniston Page provided another strong night from the service line, while teammates repeatedly yelled "Halle!" whenever a scramble broke out, knowing speedy setter Halle Lowe would somehow track the ball down.

Even with the home team firing on all cylinders, it took a Herculean effort to knock off Rock Island.

When Logan McCormack arrived midway through the opening set, Rock Island trailed 19-8. His presence immediately changed the complexion of the match. Combined with Krista Chisam's serving, Rock Island stormed back within 20-16 before McMinnville Church of God finally slammed the door.

With McCormack on the floor from the opening serve of the second set, it looked like Rock Island was ready to settle into the form that had produced five straight victories. McMinnville Church of God had other plans, rallying from an early deficit to complete one of the league's biggest upsets.

Tuesday's fourth matchup also carried significance in the standings as First Baptist Church continued its recent surge, sweeping Covenant Fellowship Church 25-19 and 25-19 to earn its second victory of the season.

Updated Standings

Old Testament Athletes 6-1
Rock Island Church of Christ 5-1
Westwood Church of Christ 6-2
Cross Denominators 4-2
McMinnville Church of God 4-4
Called to Serve 3-3
Covenant Fellowship Church 3-5
First Baptist Church 2-4
Rolling Acres BIC 1-4
Safe Harbor Church of God 0-8