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After watching leads slip away all match, Maryville senior Sarah Jenkins wasn't about to let a county title slip through her fingers.

Jenkins jumped and swung hard, propelling the ball at too tight of an angle for Heritage to dig out as the Lady Rebels finally won 20-18 in the third game to clinch the Blount County championship Monday night at Heritage. The matches in the round-robin format did not count toward each team's district record, but did matter in the overall standings. District play resumes today, with William Blount hosting Maryville and Heritage.

The winning hit for Jenkins was part of six kills down the stretch for the senior to keep her team alive.

"I really wanted to win that game," said Jenkins, the tournament's most valuable player. "Our setter was setting them perfectly to me. There was no stopping us."

Maryville was the only school to go undefeated, serving as the only loss in the four-team event for Alcoa. The host Lady Mountaineers fell to Alcoa and Maryville. William Blount failed to win any of its three games.

The win over Heritage was the longest of the six-game tournament. After leading by 11-3 and 21-16 in the first game, the Lady Rebels lost 30-28. A 25-16 win in the second set up a decisive third game. Maryville made attack after attack, with the Lady Mountaineers somehow withstanding the onslaught with block after block. Jenkins and teammate Kylie Whaley combined for 27 kills in the match.

"Most of the time we have two, maybe three pretty strong hitters up front," Maryville coach Angel Babelay said. "We're pretty effective on the front."

While Babelay's squad cruised past William Blount, it managed to beat Alcoa by just three points in that match's second set. Coach Sam Thomas said the Lady Tornadoes found success in running their offense and keeping the ball away from the Lady Rebels big guns up front. For Heritage, those guns just had too much firepower as Jenkins and Whaley scored the match's final two points, as the blocks of Heather Murrell and Megan Burnett finally wilted.

"In high-level volleyball, it's hitting and blocking," Heritage coach Richard Norville said. "We couldn't get the blocks that we needed ... so we couldn't get the ball to our setter to set up a real good attack."

Alcoa's earlier win over Norville's group was the first time the Lady Tornadoes had beaten their county rivals in Alcoa libero Emily Williams' four years with the team. The all-county senior led her team in coming back to beat Heritage 15-11 in the third game of that match after the Lady Tornadoes dropped the opening game, 25-18. As Alcoa's defensive leader, Williams started slowly on the back line against the Lady Mountaineers but recovered in time to spark the rally.

"I guess it was hard to read their shoulders and which way they were going to go," said Williams, who led with 15 digs in the match. "After they got a few down, I started reading them better and getting touches on them."

While William Blount struggled in against Heritage and Maryville, the Lady Governors were able to force a third game against Alcoa. Coach Chris Merritt credited improved passing against the Tornadoes with finally getting the ball to captain Megan Wilson in a position to attack. The senior Wilson was named all-county following the tournament.

MARYVILLE UPSETS FARRAGUT: The Lady Rebels came into Monday's tournament on a high after knocking off district juggernaut Farragut last week. Maryville had to come from behind to beat the Admirals, who had won 84 consecutive regular season matches in the district.

"They need to know what that feeling (of beating Farragut) was like," Babelay said. "Sometimes we walk in the gym and just tense up from the beginning against Farragut."