The Lady Cougar volleyball team got a measure of revenge Tuesday evening in the Cougar Den as they defeated the visiting Hancock County Lady Hornets 2-1 to move to 18-6 on the season.
The JV Lady Cougars lost in straight sets, 0-2, to the Lady Hornets, giving up a six-point lead in the second set, but the freshman girls won 2-0.
VARSITY MATCH
The Lady Cougars have just six losses on the season, but one of them came back in August to the Lady Hornets, so Grayson County was looking for a little payback in this match.
The first set was close from the start, though the Lady Cougars did hold a five-point advantage at one point, 11-6.The Hornets came back to lead by as many as three points, 19-16, and actually held a set-point at 24-23, but sophomore Kenzie Skaggs put away a kill to give the Cougars the serve at 24-24.
Setter Alexis Hart came up with a small kill to give the Lady Cougars a set-point, 25-24, before a Hornet hitting error gave Grayson the first set win.
The second set was close until Hancock put together a 6-0 run to grab a 16-7 lead. Grayson County was never closer than six points the rest of the set.
The final set was close until sophomore Ella Robinson got rolling in the middle of the set. Trailing 9-11, Laura Higdon took the serve and won the first point on a Hancock error. Robinson then had three straight kills to put her team in front 13-11.
Hart then had a spectacular block at the net and the Hornets called a time out trailing 14-11. Coming out of the timeout, Robinson ripped another kill that went nearly straight down, then had another block at the net to make it 16-11. Higdon followed that with an ace, and suddenly the Lady Cougars held a six-point lead, 17-11.
Hancock came back to within two points at 20-18, but a service error gave the serve back to the Cougars and they served out for the win. Sophomore Brieanna Boll had three straight kills to take it to match-point before a lift was called on the Cougars. On the next volley, though, Higdon recorded a kill to give the match to the Lady Cougars.
JV MATCH
The two teams stayed within a point or two of one another in the first set until the Hornets put together a 4-0 run to lead 17-13. The Hornets had the serve at set point, 20-16, when a rotation error was whistled on the Cougars to give the first set to the visitors.
Grayson County took an early five-point lead in the second set, 10-5, only to see the Hornets come back to lead 11-10.
Grayson County reasserted itself and grabbed a six-point advantage at 18-12, but then the roof fell in. Five straight Hancock points brought them to within one at 18-17.
The game was tied twice after that at 19-19 and 20-20, before a Grayson hitting error and a Hancock ace gave the visitors the match.
FRESHMAN MATCH
The Lady Cougars trailed in the early going and did not lead until a four-point run behind the serving of eighth-grader Lillie Payne gave them a 12-9 lead.
Hancock came back to retake the lead. Trailing 14-15, Allie Dotson took the serve for the Cougars and served out for the win. Dotson had three aces in the seven-point run.
The Cougars never trailed in the second set after Payne started off by serving six straight aces to begin the game. The Hornets closed to within a point at 11-10, but the Cougars were able to hold them off. With a match-point at 20-17, a Hancock error gave the Cougars the win.
By Don Brown, Local Sports
Reach Don at donbrown@k105.com
