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Deep and talented Fillies win 38th district opener over Deming
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By CHUCK HAMILTON Sports Writer
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MOUNT OLIVET -- The 38th District volleyball tournament opened Monday evening in the Devil's Dome, with the "play-in" game, which pitted Harrison County against the hosts from Deming, playing for the right to advance to tonight's semifinal round.
The Lady Devils, facing the Cynthiana school for the third time in the past three weeks, put up a valiant fight before falling, 2-1, by scores of 10-25, 26-24 and 12-25.
With their third win of the year over Deming, Harrison County (22-10) advances to play Bracken County in tonight's second semifinal match at 7:30, following the 6:30 opener between Augusta and St. Patrick.
The Fillies, who used their superior depth to their advantage by keeping fresh players on the court throughout the match, seized an early 9-2 lead in the opener, with senior middle hitter Ashley Bradford and junior outside hitter Tori Brockmeyer leading the charge with two kills apiece.
Five consecutive kills from senior libero Layken Switzer increased the Harrison County lead to 16-4, and the Fillies coasted to the 25-10 win.
The second game was a completely different story.
Senior outside hitter Jessica Hester began the set with a kill, her first of five smashes during the game, and the Lady Devils rallied late to pull out the 26-24 victory.
Deming was trailing 24-22 and facing elimination, but after a timeout called by coach Ann Grause, the Lady Devils rose to the occasion. Kills from Hester and senior Kristen Graves tied the score, and senior Michelle Smith followed with an ace. Hester's fifth kill of the game ended the game, setting up the tiebreaker.
But the Cinderella story ended for Deming in the third set.
The Fillies broke open a nip-and-tuck affair with a 10-1 run, erasing a 9-8 deficit and claiming an 18-10 lead. Senior Laura Ross and freshman Emily Cassell each served for a pair of aces during the run, with the only Deming point scored on another Hester kill, who finished the match with nine.
The Lady Devils appeared to tire somewhat late in the third set, with Harrison County's size and depth playing a role.
The loss ended Deming's season with a 12-10 record, and Grause was proud of her team's effort.
"I told the girls to keep their heads up, they all tried as hard as they could," said Grause. "They're a great bunch of girls and it's been a fun year. I'm also really going to miss all four seniors (Graves, Hester, Smith and Katie Mitchell)."
The coach also credited the Fillies.
"Harrison County is a tough team to beat, and we let them get the momentum," Grause said. "If we just could've played the way we did in that middle game in all three games it may have been different, but our passing was off some tonight, and we had a hard time returning some of their serves." |
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