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Lady Panthers come from behind in final set to win 2-1 over Bath County
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 10:22 PM EDT
The outcome was the same as the previous match, with Fleming County pulling out a 2-1 decision, by scores of 25-15, 31-33 and 25-21.
The Lady Panthers breezed in the opener, breaking open a close contest with a 16-8 run to finish off the Lady Cats, who dropped to 3-3.
A pair of kills and an ace from Amber Ruark, back-to-back aces and a kill from Kaylyn Emmons, and a pair of aces and a kill from Sami Thacker down the stretch fueled the Fleming County run.
The second set saw the home team jump in front 5-2 after a Thacker kill, but Bath County climbed back and claimed their first lead at 8-7 following a kill by Mercedez Sieling. The set was a back and forth affair the rest of the way, with neither team leading by more than three points.
The Lady Cats looked to be in great shape after another Sieling kill put the visitors ahead 22-19. But a Danielle Harmon kill, a Bath County error and an Emmons kill knotted the score at 22-all.
Another Sieling kill gave Bath County a 25-24 lead, but to win the set, the victor must win by two points, so the teams played on. Ruark put the Lady Panthers in front with a kill at 31-30, but the Lady Cats scored three consecutive points to close out the 33-31 win, setting up the match-deciding game three.
Bath County raced to an 8-1 lead after kills from Karla Deschenes and Amanda Blount, along with an ace by Cassie Farmer, causing Fleming County coach Robert Orem to signal for a timeout.
"I told the girls before the third game that it didn't matter how we started as much as how we ended," Orem said. "They stayed positive and were able to finish strong."
The Lady Panthers responded with a 10-3 run to tie the score at 11-11, and Bath County coach Jeremy Booher called a timeout at that point. The set remained very close the rest of the way, with the final score of 25-21 being the largest lead Fleming County would be able to muster.
Thacker, a sophomore outside hitter, and senior middle hitter Kelsey Prater came through in the finale. Thacker had a kill to give Fleming County a 23-21 lead, an ace to push the lead to 24-21, and an excellent dig on the Lady Panthers' final point, which ended with a kill from Molly Crain. Prater had four kills and three aces in the deciding set.
"Kelsey did a wonderful job and Sami is probably our best hitter right now, and she's been a bright spot all season," said Orem. "Our libero, Whitney Crump, was all over the place getting digs, and that's why she's out there."
The Lady Panthers (4-3) host Harrison County on Thursday in the Den in their next match.
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