Lady Dragons set sights on regional breakthrough
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Returning senior Josie Moody currently has offers to continue her student-athlete career at Carson Newman University and Tusculum College. Moody has been a playmaker for the Lady Dragons since her freshman year.
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Senior Kyleigh Gallaher will be a strong presence for the Lady Dragons in the outside hitter position. Gallaher is one of four experienced seniors on the 2025 squad.
As Lorri Johnson prepares for her fifth season as Clinton High School’s head volleyball coach, she makes no secret of her lofty expectations.
And why not?
The Lady Dragons return a wealth of talent from a 2024 team that went 34-11 and claimed a second- consecutive District 3-AAA title by going undefeated in regular-season play and sweeping the district tournament.
Clinton enters the new season as the two-time defending district champion, having also swept through its league schedule in 2023. But the Lady Dragons have yet to advance past the Region 2-AAA tournament semifinals.
Johnson and her squad are ready to take that next step.
“My expectations are always high,” Johnson said. “We’re the two-time defending district champs, and we want to get through the region tournament. I always have expectations to make a deep postseason run, and this year, it’s our district’s turn to host the region. I’ve scheduled some of our region opponents, and I like playing in the highest classification.”
Challenging schedules are nothing new for Clinton. Since Johnson arrived, the Lady Dragons have routinely played some of the top teams in the Southeast.
CHS is one of Class AAA’s smallest schools, but Johnson embraces the challenge of playing against much larger opponents.
“People ask if I want to move to Double-A, and I don’t,” she said. “We’re playing schools with 2,000 kids, and 50 or 60 try out. We have about 20. I might be in favor of adding a 4A classification, though. I like playing against the highest level of competition.”
The Lady Dragons will feature a mix of experience and youth in 2025.
Clinton returns four seniors: Lanee Carmichael (outside hitter/middle blocker), who is coming back from a knee injury suffered during basketball season; Kyleigh Gallaher (outside/opposite hitter); Josie Moody (setter/opposite hitter); and Macy Wandell (opposite/outside hitter).
“Everybody knows about Lanee and Josie, but we also have two other seniors with Kyleigh and Macy,” Johnson said. “I also have a solid base of juniors.”
That junior class includes libero/defensive specialist Hanna Harvey, middle blocker Parker McGhee, setter/defensive specialist Jailie Rodd, and outside hitter Maggie Morke.
“Jailie Rodd is our libero now, replacing McKenzie Crisp (who graduated last season), and I need Parker to become a little more mean and a little more selfish in the middle,” Johnson said.
Sophomores Jayden Bullock (outside hitter/defensive specialist) and Maggie Turbyville (outside hitter/defensive specialist) are expected to contribute, along with freshmen Ruby Bailey (outside hitter/setter), Claire Barrett (middle blocker), Anslee Carmichael (libero/outside hitter), and Alaina Staudenmaier (setter/opposite hitter).
“I have Claire and Alaina in the starting lineup,” Johnson said. “They’ll have to get used to the speed of the ball at the high school level. It moves a lot faster than in middle school or with their 14-year-old club team.”
Clinton opens the 2025 season at Hardin Valley Academy on Monday, Aug. 18.
The Lady Dragons visit Knoxville Central on Aug. 19 before hosting Anderson County on Aug. 21.
Both matches against Central and the Lady Mavericks are league contests.
Clinton will then head to Knoxville for the annual Showdown at the Sunsphere tournament.
