After a first set that could have gone either way, the Lady Cougar volleyball team blitzed the Edmonson County LadyCats in the next two sets to take their 12th District semi-final matchup 3-0 and advance to tonight’s final against host Whitesville Trinity.
Junior Ella Robinson had a big night for the Lady Cougars, leading the team with 16 kills, and adding three blocks and six digs. Junior Kenzie Skaggs added nine kills, a block and three digs, while junior Chloe Cox had seven kills, a block, three digs and three service aces. Senior setter Alexis Hart led the team with 36 assists and added a kill and six digs.
The LadyCats came out fired up in the first set and gave the Lady Cougars all they could handle. After going out to an early 4-1 lead, they stayed with the Lady Cougars, trading 1-and2-point leads until the Lady Cougars took the serve tied at 21-21.
A LadyCat set that fell to the floor was followed by a hitting error and a block by Skaggs to take it to set-point, 24-21. A bad set gave the serve to the LadyCats, but an Edmonson hitting error gave the set to the Lady Cougars.
The second set was all Lady Cougars as they scored the first six points of the game behind three Cox aces. Leading 7-1, the Lady Cougars got four straight points, with Skaggs serving a pair of aces to lead 11-1, and the second set was well in hand.
A Cox kill gave the Lady Cougars their first set-point at 24-7, but the LadyCats answered with three straight points to make it 24-10. Cox then put the set away with a kill to give Grayson County a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set started out like the first set did, with the LadyCats staying with the Lady Cougars in the early going. But tied at 8-8. Grayson County began to put some distance between themselves and Edmonson County. A 6-1 run made it 14-9.
Leading by five, 16-11, Hart served three straight points to increase the lead to eight, 19-11.
Leading 23-15, Brieanna Boll took the serve and when Cox put away another kill, the Lady Cougars had a match-point at 24-15. Boll then served an ace and the Lady Cougars had the match.
Grayson County (15-12) will face Trinty (13-14) in the final. The Lady Raiders defeated Butler County 3-1 in the second semi-final. Game time tonight in Whitesville is set for 6 p.m.
