It was the championship match that everyone expected to see. And it lived up to the expectations in intensity and excitement. The Caldwell County Lady Tigers are headed off to Richmond for the All A State Volleyball Tournament following 2nd Region tournament play Wednesday night at Fort Campbell. The Lady Tigers clinched their state tournament berth with a straight set win over defending 2nd Region All A champion University Heights.
While the match ended in straight sets, it was a battle from the opening moments. Caldwell County opened the first set by bolting out to a 6-1 lead. The Lady Blazers battled right back to tie the set at 6-6 and it was game on from there.
For the rest of the opening set, Caldwell County and UHA were locked in a tight battle. The biggest lead for either the rest of the way was Caldwell County taking a 24-20 lead and then winning the opening set 25-21. Olivia Mitchell had a huge opening set for the Lady Tigers, picking up eight kills. UHA’s Clarissa Miller had three kills, while the Lady Blazers’ Meghan Adams had two kills and two assists.
The second set opened much the same as the first. Caldwell County bolted out to a 5-1 lead, only to see UHA come firing back to tie the set at 8-8. For stretches in the second set it looked as if the match might turn into a showdown between Caldwell County’s Mitchell and UHA’s Miller, as the two traded big shots back and forth. The Lady Tigers were finally able to inch away from the Lady Blazers taking an 18-14 lead and then holding on tight for the 25-20 win to close out the set and the match.
Olivia Mitchell had five kills in the set for Caldwell County, while Abby Griggs added three. Clarissa Miller had five kills for the Lady Blazers and Meghan Adams had three.
With the win, Caldwell County improved to 6-1 on the season. The Lady Tigers are returning to the All A State Volleyball tournament after a year of being out of the All A events. In 2017, the Lady Tigers fell to Kentucky Country Day in a tight three set battle in the opening round of the championship bracket.
Caldwell County will open pool play Friday, September 13 against the 1st Region champion. The other teams in their pool will be the champions of the 10th Region and the 15th Region.
The loss drops the Lady Blazers to 7-2 on the season.
Caldwell County’s night began with a straight set win over Fort Campbell. The Lady Tigers completely controlled the first set, winning 25-6. With Caldwell County leading 6-2, the Lady Tigers blew the set open with a 12-0 run to go up 18-2, effectively ending the set. Olivia Mitchell dominated play at the net, coming up with seven kills in the set. Mary Tays added 3 kills, while Abby Griggs chipped in with two kills and an ace.
The second set began with the Fort Campbell Lady Falcons playing some of their best volleyball of the night, and jumping out to a 6-1 lead. The Lady Falcons got solid efforts from Jasmin Jones and Amauri Pratt. The Lady Tigers then ripped off a 17-6 run to take an 18-12 lead. From that point, Caldwell County cruised out to the 25-14 win to close out the best-of-three match. Olivia Mitchell had seven kills in the set for Caldwell County, while Abby Griggs added five. Jasmin Jones had five kills for the Lady Falcons.
In the second semifinal, the UHA Lady Blazers also rolled into the championship game with a straight set win, defeating Crittenden County. UHA opened the match scoring the first nine points of the opening set. The Lady Blazers rolled on to the 25-9 win. Meghan Adams had three kills and an ace. Clarissa Miller added three kills, while Evelyn Morales had two aces.
It was more of the same in the second set, as UHA jumped out to a 14-1 lead and then rolled on to the 25-9 win to close out the match. Meghan Adams had four kills and an ace. Clarissa Miller added three kills. Beth Peebles added three service aces for the Lady Blazers.
