Summit's bid for a district championship fell two points short.

The defending Class AAA state champion Spartans lost to No. 1-ranked Franklin 25-17, 15-25, 25-23, 21-25, 16-14 in the District 10-AAA title match Thursday, Oct. 8, at Summit, according to the school's athletics department on X. The fifth set came down to the final rallies, with Franklin pulling away late.

The loss stings. But the Spartans' season is not over. Summit advances to the Region 5-AAA tournament Tuesday, Oct. 13, at Franklin. A start time had not been announced as of Friday, Oct. 9.

Road through the bracket

Summit entered the district tournament as the No. 3 seed after back-to-back losses in the final week of the regular season, the Williamson Herald reported. The Spartans responded with a dominant run through the bracket.

They swept Ravenwood 25-21, 25-17, 25-10 in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Oct. 6. Then they knocked off No. 2-seeded Nolensville 25-22, 25-20, 25-22 in the semifinals Wednesday, Oct. 7, avenging one of those late-season losses.

Senior Everleigh DeShazo, a Florida Gulf Coast beach volleyball commit, led the semifinal effort with 18 kills and three blocks. Senior Emery Estep added seven kills and four aces, with senior setter Raegan Burtch directing the offense.

After the semifinal win, Estep said she and her teammates wanted another shot at Franklin. "Even though we still move on no matter what, we want to beat them especially since our last game went to five," Estep told the Herald on Wednesday.

A familiar opponent

Franklin (26-1) had already beaten Summit twice during the regular season, both times in five sets. The Admirals won 22-25, 25-14, 24-26, 25-15, 15-9 on Sept. 10 and 25-23, 25-20, 18-25, 19-25, 15-13 on Oct. 1, according to the Williamson Herald. Thursday's championship was the third five-set battle between the two programs this season.

The district final was Franklin's first since 2015. Coach MaKayla Beebe is in her sixth year leading the Admirals.

What's next

Summit's regional appearance is only the second in program history. The Spartans won the state title last year in their first-ever trip to the state tournament.

The Region 5-AAA tournament begins Tuesday at Franklin.