Playing host to the Muhlenberg County Mustangs Tuesday evening in the Cougar Den, the Lady Cougar volleyball teams took a pair of straight-set victories.
In the JV opener, the Lady Cougars trailed the whole first set, by as many as five points at one point, before grabbing a late lead, then holding on to take the set in overtime, 22-20. A demoralized Mustang squad then folded in the second set, 21-4.
In the varsity tilt, the Lady Cougars got a career day from senior Olivia Lucas on their way to the win in straight sets, 25-16, 25-14, 25-23.
JV MATCH
Even though the score stayed close in the early going, the visitors seemed to be in complete control of the first set. The Mustangs led by five points, 10-15 before the Lady Cougars began to assert themselves.
With Maddie Duvall taking the serve with her team trailing 16-17, a dink kill by Brieanna Boll tied the game at 17 apiece. Katie Skaggs then powered a left-handed kill to put the Lady Cougars in front for the first time, 18-17.
The Mustangs gained a side-out, then retook the lead,. They later had a set-point at 18-20 before the Lady Cougars got the serve back. Skaggs then served three straight aces to improbably win the set.
The loss seemed to totally unnerve the visitors and the Lady Cougar took full advantage to blitz the Mustangs in the second set.
With the Lady Cougars leading 4-1, Boll, the team’s setter, took the serve and took the Mustangs completely out of the game. She served 15 straight points, including nine aces, to give the Lady Cougars a commanding lead at 19-1 before the Mustangs could stop the carnage with a side-out.
Serving at match-point, Elizabeth Lucas served an ace to give the JV girls the one-sided win.
VARSITY MATCH
Grayson County trailed just once in the first set, at 0-1. Following a side-out, Kenzie Skaggs took the serve. Kills by Ella Robinson and Olivia Lucas put the Lady Cougars in front 3-1 and they never trailed again. They slowly built their lead to eight points and served for the set at 24-16 before Robinson put a little push shot into a vacant spot for the first-set win. Lucas had four kills in that first set.
As in the first set, Grayson County trailed only once, 0-1. The Lady Cougars pushed the lead to six points, 8-2 before the Mustangs closed back to within two at 8-6. They would never get closer. Leading by five, 16-11, sophomore Bailey Richardson served five unanswered points, including two kills by Lucas, to increase the lead to 10 points, 21-11.
Junior setter Alexis Hart took the serve at 22-14 and served it out for the second-set win.
The third set was much more competitive. With the score knotted at 4-4, the Lady Mustangs scored four straight, including a pair of aces from Bailey Walker, to take their largest lead of the night at 4-8. A Lucas kill ended that run.
The visitors maintained their lead until Kenzie Skaggs served five straight points to push the Lady Cougars in front 14-10. Muhlenberg was able to rally back to tie the score at 16-16 before another Lucas kill put Grayson County back in front.
Muhlenberg tied the score twice after that, at 22-22, and 23-23, but could never retake the lead. With senior libero Laura Higdon serving match-point at 24-23, Robinson smashed a kill off the Muhlenberg block to end the match.
Grayson County will be on the road at Owensboro Senior on Thursday. That contest is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
By Don Brown, Local Spor
Reach Don at donbrown@k105.com
