After the Caldwell County Lady Tigers swept their way past Henderson County in the opening round of the 2nd Region volleyball tournament Monday night, there may have been concerns for some fans that the Lady Tigers might come out a bit over confident Tuesday night in their semifinal matchup against Crittenden County. Those worries were not just put away early, but were put away very early Tuesday night as Caldwell County rolled past Crittenden County in straight sets to advance to the 2nd Region championship game Wednesday night.
The Lady Tigers came firing right out of the gate. Caldwell County jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the opening set, and rolled on to take the set 25-11. Olivia Mitchell had five kills in the set while Abby Griggs added four more. Kendyll Prowell and Mary Tays added strong support in the opening set.
The second set was almost an Olivia Mitchell highlight reel. With Kendyll Prowell setting the table, Mitchell would finish the set with 12 kills as the Lady Tigers roared through the set 25-9. Caldwell County jumped out to a 12-4 lead and never looked back as they took a commanding 2-0 set lead.
The Lady Rockets tried to battle back in the third set. Crittenden County had six different players register a kill in the opening moments of the set as Crittenden County took a 12-10 lead. However, with Griggs and Mitchell leading the way, Caldwell County ripped off a 10-2 run to take a 20-14 lead. They would close out the set 25-15 to complete the sweep.
Olivia Mitchell finished the night with 30 kills. Kendyll Prowell had a huge night setting her teammates up, ending the match with 39 set assists. Abby Griggs finished with 9 kills, 9 digs, and 5 service aces. Riley Thomas added 9 digs for the Lady Tigers.
The win advances the Lady Tigers to Wednesday night’s championship match, Caldwell County’s first title game appearance since 2017, when they lost in the final to Henderson County. It will be the 11th time the Lady Tigers have played for the region title. They have advanced to the state tournament six times. The last title for the Lady Tigers was in 2011.
Caldwell County has now won 23 straight matches against Crittenden County, and leads the all-time series with the Lady Rockets 30-2.
The championship match is set for 6pm Wednesday evening.
