Madisonville-North Hopkins will get a fourth shot at Caldwell County this season with a trip to the state volleyball tournament on the line. The Lady Maroons advanced to Wednesday’s title match with a four-set win over Webster County at Lyle Dunbar Gymnasium at Christian County.
Earlier in the night, Caldwell County dispatched Crittenden County in three sets to set up the All-Seventh District championship match. The last time two teams from the same district met in the championship was 2014 when Christian County defeated University Heights Academy.
Against the Lady Trojans, Madisonville started slow but finished strong in winning the first set 25-17. Tied at 10-10, Madisonville used a 10-3 run to take control of the set. Sophomore Kendrea White had two aces, two kills, and two blocks for the Lady Maroons in that first set.
In the second set, Madisonville built an early 11-6 lead before Webster rallied to pull to within 12-11. Webster’s serve-receive game had issues during a 9-2 Lady Maroon run, and Madisonville went on for the 25-14 set win.
Facing elimination, Webster found its game in the third set. Maggie Jones had six of her game-high 15 kills in the set, which was tied six times up to 12-12. Webster used a strong game at the net to run off 13 straight points to surge to a 20-13 lead. They held on for a 25-15 win.
Webster’s momentum would be short-lived as Madisonville broke a 5-5 tie with a 10-1 run. The Lady Maroons closed out the match with a 24-14 win.
Natalie Collier had seven kills and an ace for Madisonville. White added five kills and three aces. Kaitlyn Orange had six kills and two aces.
In addition to Jones’ big night for Webster, Lilly Thurby had nine kills, and Lacey Pugh had six. Audrie Ellis had three of Webster’s five aces.
Webster County, who had one senior on its roster, finished its season with a record of 10-6.
Madisonville improved to 17-5 and will play for the region title for the first time since 2006. They dropped three matches to Caldwell during the season and have lost 33 straight against their district rivals.
Wednesday’s championship match will be at 6 pm at Christian County High School.
