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St. Patrick, Harrison County to meet for 38th District volleyball title
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By CHUCK HAMILTON Sports Writer
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MOUNT OLIVET -- The teams have been decided for tonight's 7 p.m championship match in the 38th District volleyball tournament at Deming after Tuesday's semifinals were won by St. Patrick and Harrison County.
Both teams will advance to next week's regional tournament, with the site to be determined.
The Lady Saints won the evening's opener over Augusta, 2-0 (25-5, 25-21), and the Fillies bested Bracken County in the nightcap, 2-0 (25-18, 25-20) to set up tonight's title match.
Sophomore middle hitter Brooke Mosler led St. Patrick with 10 kills in the opening set. Junior outside hitter Sarah Tatum served for five aces during a 15-0 run which closed game one after a brief 5-2 Augusta run closed the margin to 10-5. Sophomores Ashley Harding and Jessica Hay led the Lady Panthers, with each coming up with a kill, and Harding serving an ace.
Harding got the Lady Panthers off to a quick start in the second set with a pair of aces and 0-14 Augusta held a 7-4 lead before St. Patrick mounted a 7-2 run to take an 11-9 lead on a Mosler kill. The game remained close throughout, with Augusta closing to within two at 19-17 after Hay and Harding each contributed a kill.
But the Lady Saints (20-10) held on for the win, with freshman Emily Sticklen nailing a kill to end the match. St. Patrick's younger players saw most of the action in the clincher, with sophomore Cynthia Mondragon leading the serving game with four aces.
"All of the girls got an opportunity to play," said St. Patrick coach Julie McKay. "I wanted to give them a taste of what next year will be like, and they didn't get to see action over the weekend in Louisville in the All 'A' tournament."
Sean Stewart, who was sitting in for Nicci Stitt on the Augusta sideline, saw several positives in the second set.
"We showed a lot more power in that second game and the girls showed they wanted to be here and they wanted to win," Stewart said. "We had a chance of winning that second one, and that's all you can ask for. It could be a momentum builder for next year's team."
In the second semifinal match, Harrison County (24-10) jumped out to big early leads in both sets on their way to their third win of the season over the 17-11 Lady Bears.
In the opener, the Fillies held an 8-2 lead after a smash from senior middle hitter Ashley Bradford, but Bracken County answered with a 9-2 run to take an 11-10 lead. Included in the run were three Karlie Smith kills and a pair of Stephanie Tucker aces.
However, Harrison County responded with a 12-2 run to claim a 21-13 lead on their way to the win. Bradford and sophomore outside hitter Deidre Pawley each had four kills to lead the Fillies, and junior outside hitter Tori Brockmeyer added three kills.
The Lady Bears' Smith, a junior outside hitter, had five kills and several blocks at the net against the strong Harrison County front line. Senior outside hitter Tiffany McDowell had three kills and an ace for Bracken County.
In the finale, the Fillies built a 9-2 lead after the third ace from freshman setter Allison Cordray, causing Lady Bears coach Wade Smith to signal for a timeout. Bracken County climbed back, tying the game at 14-14 after a pair of Ashley Florer aces and a McDowell smash, the second of her three kills in game two. Sophomore Allana Ahrens served for four aces and added a kill during the 12-5 Lady Bears run that knotted the game.
But Harrison County scored the next six points, with senior setter Laura Ross serving for four consecutive aces. The closest the Lady Bears would get would be at 24-20 after Smith's fourth kill, but Brockmeyer's fourth kill of the game ended the evening and Bracken County's season.
Lady Bears coach Wade Smith was complimentary of the Fillies after the match.
"Harrison County was able to adjust to everything we were trying to do and I congratulate them and wish them luck in the region. We gave them a battle, but for some reason our serving was not there at the beginning of both games and we fell behind," said Smith. "We will miss our four seniors (McDowell, Tucker, Shelby Pribble and Silvia Steinhauer) and they will be hard to replace. But it's a good thing Karlie will be back and we will also have a good core of players coming back next year." |
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