Lady Warriors drop Lady Maroons
Sep. 20—The Wig Wam was packed on Monday evening, when Southwestern hosted Pulaski County for their second game of the season. Anticipation was ripe in the air for a battle between one of the top teams in the 12th Region in the Warriors and a team that is coming into their own right before our eyes in the Maroons.
Winners of five straight, the Maroons are peaking at just the right time with only a few weeks to go until postseason action begins. They would face a tough task against the Warriors however, as they have been battled-tested so far this season and are themselves on a four-game winning streak.
Although Pulaski would battle throughout the game, with seniors Ellen Cherry and Elizabeth Dalton in particular diving to get some tough digs, Southwestern would be the better team on this night, taking the game in straight sets 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-13). Head coach Mitizi Jones is pleased with how her team is coming together now, but also gave credit to how improved the Maroons are from the beginning of the season.
"My kids are playing really well right now. Pulaski has gotten better and they are playing well also. We're finally settling in now and hitting our groove, we just have to keep it up," she explained.
The two rivals would go blow-for-blow early in the first set, as they were tied early at 7-7 after a 7-3 beginning lead for the Maroons. Southwestern was getting early kills from seniors Kylee Tucker and Baylee Collingsworth, sophomore Chloe Mabe, and junior Payton Acey, as well as an ace from senior Kamryn Young. Pulaski would get early aces from junior Maleah Young and senior Halle Mayfield.
After the 7-3 deficit, the Warriors would go on a 11-1 run to take charge of the set at 14-8. From there, it was smooth sailing for Southwestern, as they would close out on a 11-6 run to take the first set 25-14. The Warriors would get help late via a kill and an ace from sophomore Halle Norvell, an ace from Collingsworth, and three kills and the set-winning ace from Mabe. Pulaski would add a kill and a block from senior Seanna Mullins, as well as a kill from junior Maggie Holt.
It would be all Warriors early in the second set as they would lead 9-4 following kills from Norvell, Tucker, and Acey, as well as an ace from senior Ally Albert. Pulaski would battle back, however, and halfway through the set would only trail 16-14 following a kill and a block from Holt, an ace from Maleah Young, a kill from senior Anna Farmer, and two kills from senior Calli Eastham.
Once again Southwestern would claim all the momentum late, as they would go on a 9-1 run to take the second set 25-15. The Warriors were led late by an ace from Kamryn Young, as well as kills from Norvell, Collingsworth, Acey, and the set-winning kill from senior Kaylee Young.
That same momentum carried over for Southwestern to begin the third set, as they would open on a 15-5 run to take a commanding lead over the Maroons. Early kills would come from Mabe, Norvell, Collingsworth, and Kaylee Young.
From that point, it was just a matter of trading points successfully, as Southwestern would outscore Pulaski 10-8 the rest of the way through the set and would eventually take the set and the game 25-13. Late kills for the Warriors would come from Tucker, Norvell, and sophomore Adison Black, while the Maroons would have late kills come from Eastham, Mullins, Holt, and sophomore Ava King, as well as another ace from Maleah Young. The game-clinching point for Southwestern would come via a service error on Pulaski.
With the win, Southwestern is now 14-5, and will next be in action on Thursday as they host Corbin, with game time scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Pulaski County, now 12-7, will host Rockcastle County on Thursday, with games scheduled to get underway at 5:30 p.m.
Jacob Pratt is the Sports Editor of the Commonwealth Journal and can be reached at jpratt@somerset-kentucky.com. You can follow him on Twitter @PrattTheNation
