MAROONED!: Pulaski outlasts Cougars
- Jacob Pratt
- Oct 4, 2024
- 4 min read
SOMERSET - Friday, a rare crosstown volleyball collision between the Lady Maroons of Pulaski County and the Lady Cougars of Somerset Christian was in store for the fans that packed inside the PC Gymnasium. With the Cougars coming off a hard-fought 3-2 win over fellow crosstown rival Southwestern and the Maroons coming off a close 3-2 loss to Corbin, what was going to be in store? Were the Cougars going to be forced to walk the plank, or were the Maroons going to be shipwrecked?
Some team did end up shipwrecked, but it wasn't the home team, as the Maroons were able to handle a great crowd that showed up to support the Cougars en route to a 3-1 victory over their crosstown foes (25-21, 16-25, 25-15, 25-22).
Catherine Hardy got her team off to a fast start with a block for the first point. In fact, following three kills from Sara Tucker, the Cougars held a 5-1 advantage and were seemingly playing some perfect volleyball early on. A couple kills from Ava King and Sammie Blevins, as well as an ace from Blevins and Emma Moody, brought Pulaski right back though as they tied things up at 6-6. Following kills from Ella Lancaster and Brooklyn York, an ace from Kyndal Putteet gave the Maroons their first lead of the night at 11-10.
Pulaski held the lead 15-11 midway throught the set before two straight blocks from Hardy tied things right back up at 15-15. A Somerset Christian timeout as they were up 19-18 late proved to be no help, as Pulaski used two straight kills from Becca DeBord and an ace from King to get to set-point. On the next volley, an attacking error by the Cougars handed the Maroons the first set 25-21. Head coach McKenzie McCollum noted after the game that her team really wanted the win against Corbin earlier in the week and used that for fuel in this contest.
"The players were disappointed they didn't get the outcome they wanted over Corbin, so it kind of lit a fire underneath them. They knew they could compete against some of the top teams in the area, and they really impressed me by how well they played together like a team," she explained.
Set two started out with strong play from both teams and after a kill from Lancaster, things were tied up at 7-7. From there on out however, it was all Somerset Christian in the set. Kills from Sophia Barnett and Tucker got the Cougars rolling, as well as an ace from Reagan Childers. A kill from Blevins was followed by a 6-1 spree by the Cougars to take a 21-13 lead, forcing coach McCollum to call for a timeout.
It was all Barnett late in the set, as the junior had four kills to put the visitors two points away from a tied match. A few errors by Somerset Christian had head coach LaDawna Tucker fuming and soon she called for a timeout. Immediately out of the break, however, Barnett had a spike for the set-winning kill that handed the Cougars a 25-16 second set win, tying things up in the process.
It was a block party up in the PC Gymnasium early in the third set, as King and Hardy were trading some quality blocks at the net. With the set being tied up at 8-8 following a Barnett kill, Pulaski scored six of the next seven points on two kills from Blevins, an ace from Putteet and a block from Lancaster to pull ahead 14-9, thus forcing the Cougars to call for a timeout to stop their momentum.
Things went from bad to worse after the timeout, as the Maroons stretched their run to 11-2 to take a 19-10 lead after another block from Lancaster and two straight aces from York. Some attacking error by the Maroons kept Somerset Christian in the set late, however it was too late for them to recover fully. After a kill from Lancaster, the Cougars committed two straight attacking errors to give Pulaski the third set 25-14, putting the home team just one away from a crosstown victory.
Blocks were traded between Emma Grace Warren and King early on in the fourth set, although the solid hitting thus far of the Maroons gave them an advantage. That advantage didn't last long though, as aces from Barnett and Ally Idlewine, as well as more kills from Barnett put the Cougars on top 13-7. With the Cougars in control 15-9 midway through the set, it looked like this match was destined to go to five sets as well.
Hold the phone though, as following kills from Blevins, King and DeBord, the Maroons cut their deficit down to 17-15, forcing a Somerset Christian timeout. The teams were battling late, with Somerset Christian clearly riding the wave of momentum provided to them by their very boisterous crowd. Following a Cougar timeout, Barnett had a kill to bring the Maroon lead down to one. The Cougars made two mistakes back-to-back by being called by four hits, putting the home team on match point. Kills from Barnett and Tucker gave the visitors a bit of life, but an unfortunate attacking error gave the Maroons the set and the match with a 25-22 fourth set win. Talk about a momentum-booster heading into the final few weeks of the regular season, right coach McCollum?
"This win gives the players a little confidence boost. They now have confidence they can win, they know they can play with each other, perfect time for some good motivation for the team," she stated.
Pulaski improves to 17-8 and will next welcome in Garrard County on Saturday at noon.
Somerset Christian falls to 20-8 and sees their nine-game winning streak snapped. They will next return home for the first time since early September on Monday, where they will play host to Mercer County.
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