By GALE CAVNESS
pressbox1.com

History, it has oft been said, is destined to repeat itself.

For Dyersburg Middle School volleyball coach Bubba Cobb, that’s just fine.

Cobb’s club defeated Crestview 25-17, 25-20 in Brighton Friday night to claim the West Tennessee Athletic Conference championship for the second consecutive year. Both teams participating in the finals will now advance to the Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association west-state sectionals.

By the way, Dyersburg won that tournament last year, too.

"The girls really, really, really did a super job," Cobb said. "We got our hits in, we got our serves in and there were some tremendous volleys. And we had some great net play."

Cobb also gave Crestview plenty of credit, but said the Lady Trojans remained aggressive and positive throughout the evening.

"They’re good, too," the DMS coach said about the opposition in the title game. "It was close, but the girls were confident. It was the type of game where we just felt like we had it."

Dyersburg had to win the TMSAA sectional tourney on the road in 2006, but an annual alternating schedule gives the Lady Trojans an opportunity to defend the crown on its home court this year. The four-team tournament begins Thursday night at 6 p.m.

The Lady Trojans (15-2) will meet Sherwood Middle School, the runner-up team from Memphis, in one semifinal round. Crestview will face Ridgeway, the Memphis champion, in the other semifinal showdown.

Last year, both WTAC teams won their semifinal matches with DMS besting Crestview for the west sectional championship.

According to Cobb, Crestview has lost just seven matches since the middle of the 2006 season, all to Dyersburg.

"Dyersburg and Crestview have, traditional, had two of the best programs in West Tennessee," he said. "In the last couple of seasons, we’ve played well against them and things have turned out good for us."

Before the Lady Trojans got a shot at defending their conference title, they had to reach the championship round.

Brighton, Crestview and Dyersburg ended the regular-season in a three-way deadlock, each with two losses. Brighton handed DMS its only setbacks of the year, Crestview did the same to Brighton and the Lady Trojans knotted it up by downing Crestview twice. The tie-breaking procedure left Dyersburg as the third seed in the tournament, Brighton in second and Crestview at the top.

The Lady Trojans won a hard-fought quarterfinal battle over sixth-seeded Halls 25-10, 25-18 on Thursday night to move into Friday night’s semifinals.

In the other quarterfinal matches, Crestview ousted No. 8 Three Oaks, Brighton eliminated seventh-seeded Northview and Lauderdale Middle School, the fifth seed, bumped sixth-seeded Munford.

The Lady Trojans rallied to beat Brighton, the host school, in Friday night’s semifinals. After dropping the opening game 19-25, Dyersburg won two thrillers, 26-24 and 15-12, to earn its spot in the championship round.

Crestview topped Lauderdale in the other semifinal match to earn its place opposite DMS in the title tilt.

Shelby Andrews, an All-WTAC performer and the tourney’s most valuable player, earned her accolades by scoring 11 consecutive points for the Lady Trojans early in the title round’s first game.

In the second game, Dyersburg built a comfortable lead and held off a Crestview comeback attempt to wrap the championship hardware in black and gold.

"We got a little too excited in the second game," Cobb said. "After a time out, we refocused and got our heads back into the game."

Joining Andrews on the all-conference team were teammates Mary Evelyn Peckenpaugh and Rachel Gauldin. Claire White, Clair Newbill and Andrews were named to the all-tournament team.

Cobb said that Sydney McNeill, the lone DMS starter not recognized during the awards ceremony, was equally deserving of individual praise.

"She played her heart out," he said. "She was very deserving of individual honors as well as the others. I’m tremendously pleased with all the girls’ efforts."

The Dyersburg school system has dismissed classes this week and next for fall break, but Cobb’s squad will practice on the same schedule as usual in preparation for Thursday’s sectionals.

"The girls decided on the schedule," Cobb said. "They didn’t want to change anything."