MURFREESBORO -- North Greene's first volleyball experience at the state tournament level did not end as hoped, but Coach Tony Stone felt his Lady Huskies gained a wealth of experience.

"We only lose two seniors, so we hope to be back down here next year," he said. "It was a great experience, but we didn't play our 'A' game today. Chalk part of that up to nerves and not really knowing what to expect down here."

The Huskies dropped their tournament opener to Trinity Christian in three close games (25-22, 25-19, 25-22), then were eliminated in the loser's bracket by Summertown (25-10, 25-19, 25-23). The contest with Trinity was one that Stone felt his Huskies should have won.

"We really thought we matched up well with both teams we played, but especially Trinity," Stone noted. "Serving and poor passing really killed us. We came up with some decent hits, but made too many mistakes."

It was obvious from the outset of the first game with Trinity that the two teams were evenly matched. The contest stayed dead even through 15 points before the Lady Lions got the upper hand and never trailed again.

But the Huskies kept it close. Down 21-18, they got it back even at 21-21 with Alexa Guelli at service. But Trinity's Hannah Golden served up a couple of winning points, including an ace, to put her team up 24-21, and the final point was made when the Huskies served the ball into the net.

North Greene started strong in the second game, with Stephanie McKinsey getting two service aces at the outset and Dakota White coming up with a nice block at the net as the Huskies jumped out to a 7-2 lead.

But the Lions recovered behind some good serving by Natalie Nelson and they tied the game at 8-8, then Anna Coley served up a pair of aces and the Lions went ahead 14-8.

Momentum stayed the way of Trinity Christian as the lead grew to 19-11 as the Huskies weren't able to get much done around the net due to poor passing.

Dyani Ricker served up a late rally for North Greene as they closed the gap down to 23-19, but Coley came up with a spike off a good set and then served up the winner when the Huskies returned the serve out of bounds.

Game three was just as competitive as the first game. The largest advantage by any team was Trinity at 14-10. A kill by White and a service ace by Ricker got the Huskies right back in it, and North Greene got the lead at 16-15 when Trinity hit a spike too long over the back line.

But the Lions regained the advantage at 19-16, and they held a 24-20 lead before the Huskies made one last-gasp effort.

Nelson served one too hard out of bounds to cut the gap to 24-21, then White knocked one down on a kill to shave it to 24-22. But Coley came up with a spike for the Lions to end the game and the contest.

Needing a win to survive, the Huskies couldn't do it as Summertown flexed its muscles early, moving to a quick 25-10 victory in the first game after breaking from a 4-4 tie.

The Huskies played better in the second game, but were never able to take the lead. The Lady Eagles were tough up front with Paige Perry and Morgan Long, and they went from a 10-7 lead to a 16-7 advantage.

North Greene tried to rally. After trailing 22-11, they made a good run with Katie O'Neil at serve and White working hard at the net to close to 23-18, but the Eagles finished them off at 25-19.

North Greene maintained a 12-10 lead in game three before things begin to fall apart. The Eagles rallied for a 17-13 lead, but the Huskies got it back to 23-22 and 24-23. Summertown closed out the match on a hit by Courtney Grooms.

White and Chenoa Ricker are the only two seniors on the North Greene team. Guelli, McKinsey and Audrey Shipley are juniors. Dyani Ricker and Katie O'Neil are sophomores.