The Lady Cougar volleyball team saw its modest, three-game winning streak snapped Thursday evening in the Cougar Den as the Ohio County Lady Eagles came back from losing the first set to take a 16-25, 25-23, 27-25 win.
In the earlier games, the freshman girls beat Ohio in straight sets 21-19, 21-19, and the JV girls won in split sets, 13-21, 21-14, 21-14.
VARSITY MATCH
The Lady Cougars were probably kicking themselves after this loss as they had many wasted opportunities to take charge of the match, then had a match-point in the final set they also let slip through their fingers.
Ohio came in with a so-so, 6-5 record with some of those losses against some historically good teams. As the match progressed, a couple of their hitters stood out, senior Danielle Steele and junior Anna Law, both of whom had crucial kills during the game.
But after the first set it appeared as though the Lady Cougars would continue their winning ways. After they jumped out to an early 8-1 lead the Lady Eagles were never closer to the lead than five points.
Grayson County served a set-point at 24-15, but a Law kill extended the match. With Ohio serving at 24-16, sophomore Chloe Cox put away a kill to give the set to the Lady Cougars.
The second set began with both teams scoring early by rally points. But with the score tied 6-6, the Lady Eagles used four straight points to take a 10-6 lead.
The Lady Cougars still trailed, 12-15, when sophomore Ella Robinson served eight unanswered points to give her team a seemingly insurmountable lead, 20-15. Robinson had a pair of aces during the run.
Steele stopped the run with a kill and the Lady Eagles came right back with five straight to tie things once again at 20-20. Rally points ensued before Law took the serve for Ohio tied at 23-23. Law served an ace to give her team a set-point, and when Cox hit a ball wide, the Lady Eagles had shocked the Lady Cougars by tying the match at a set apiece.
The final set began with the Lady Cougars racing out to a big lead early, 11-3. But behind the serving of Law, the Lady Eagles pulled back to within a point of the lead, 12-11.
The Lady Cougars clung to the lead afterward, but Ohio came back again to first tie at 19-19, then take a two-point lead, 19-21. They served at match-point, 21-24, but were whistled for a double hit on the volley to give the Lady Cougars another chance.
Sophomore Kenzie Skaggs took the serve and ripped an ace off the tape that just trickled over, and when Law pushed a ball wide, the score was tied at 24-24. An Ohio hitting error gave a match-point to the Lady Cougars, but a Law kill tied it once more.
Cougar setter Alexis Hart was whistled for a double-hit, giving Ohio another match-point and when junior Adrianna Joiner put a ball down for a kill, the Lady Eagles had their win.
By Don Brown, Local Sports
Reach Don at donbrown@k105.com
