Boyd Christian may have entered the TSIAA Division 2 tournament as a lower seed, but the Lady Broncos are playing like a team that doesn't want its season to end. Boyd continued its late-season surge Tuesday night, knocking off No. 6 Greater Things in three sets, 25-20, 20-25, 15-9, to advance to the D2 semifinals.
The victory puts the Lady Broncos one win away from playing for a championship.
“We came away with a hard-fought win,” said coach Kenny Chisam. “The girls battled from start to finish and found a way to get the win when it mattered most. I was really proud of them tonight.”
Boyd came out ready for postseason play, taking the opening set, but Greater Things wasn't ready to go home either. The home team answered with a victory in the second to force a deciding third.
With its season suddenly condensed into a race to 15, Boyd took control.
The Lady Broncos pulled away, securing the upset and continuing an impressive turnaround for a team that endured plenty of growing pains earlier this season.
Those struggles seem distant now.
Boyd entered the postseason not far removed from having won three straight matches, beating Highland Rim, 931 Volleyball and TN Heat during its best stretch of the season. A loss to Franklin Road Christian wrapped up the regular season, but the team came right back in the tournament, with wins carrying much bigger stakes.
Throughout the year, Chisam has continually talked about his team learning to battle through mistakes rather than allowing one bad play to become several. As the season has progressed, Boyd has increasingly shown that ability.
Now the Lady Broncos will get to see how far that growth can take them.
“We still have a few things we need to clean up before we face Legacy, but I’m confident that if we go out there, play our game and do the things we know we’re capable of doing, we have a chance to advance to the championship game,” said Chisam.
Boyd will face Legacy at 6 p.m. Thursday in Murfreesboro. Legacy advanced past Dickson Christian to reach the semifinals. Metro and Highland Rim will meet in the other semifinal.
The two winners will advance to Saturday's TSIAA Division 2 championship at Clarksville Christian.
For a Boyd team seeded seventh, the path is straightforward now: one more win and the Lady Broncos will play for a title.
“For now, we’re going to celebrate tonight’s win, enjoy what we accomplished and then turn our focus to Thursday night,” said Chisam. “We’ll be ready to go.”
