TAKING OVER THE PATCH: Pulaski sweeps Somerset

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Pulaski County sophomore Olivia Travis (left) attempts to get a hit past Somerset freshman blocker Kaitlyn Mobley (right) during the Maroons' 3-0 victory over the Jumpers on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024.

SOMERSET - For the second time this season, the Lady Maroons and Lady Jumpers took the court for rivalry volleyball action. As of recent history, the series between the two has been close, with no team earning sweeps in both regular season matchups since 2018. With Somerset on a near historic, for all the wrong reasons, losing streak and the Maroons looking every bit of a contender in the 12th Region, things weren't looking good for a Somerset team that was swept the last time the teams played.

For all intents and purposes, the Maroons took over the patch and made this look more like a home game, as they dominated in every facet of the contest for a 3-0 sweep (25-15, 25-17, 25-17) and improved to 4-0 in district play.

Right out of the gate, it was Ava King with a kill to put the Maroons up early, followed up by a kill from Jasper Tingle before an attacking error gave the Jumpers their first point of the evening. Pulaski built on that lead with a run that included three aces from senior Jasmine Correll as they took a 7-2 lead. Kills from Serenity Haynes and Sarah McBride brought the home team within three points on the scoreboard as the Jumpers seemed to be building a bit of momentum. However, three kills from Ella Lancaster and a kill from Olivia Travis later, and the visitors were cruising to a 14-8 lead midway through the set.

Once again Somerset battled back, trimming the lead to four after a kill from Whitney King. Kills from Olivia Atwood, Sammie Blevins and Ava King gave the Maroons a 20-14 edge and forced Somerset head coach Heather Baker to call for a timeout. That break meant very little however, as Pulaski scored five of the last six points, including a push kill for the set-winner by Travis, to claim the first set 25-15.

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Somerset junior Sarah McBride (13) attempts to get a kill past the blocks of Pulaski County senior Ava King (31) and junior Jasper Tingle (2) during the Jumpers' loss to the Maroons on Thursday at the Briar Patch.

Somerset actually had the first point of the second set on an attacking error, but the Maroons quickly tied it up following a block from Tingle and Ava King. Pulaski continued their early set dominance with more kills from Blevins and McKenzie Strunk, but the Jumpers battled back within three again after kills from McBride and Haynes. It came to no surprise that Pulaski was on top 16-11 halfway through the set, with the solid hitting from every spot on the floor for the Maroons proving to be a key factor in their quality play so far, with head coach McKenzie McCollum knowing how big of an advantage that can be.

"It's been a long time since we've been able to have so many players on the team, with 18 total on my squad. It is great to be able to pull from any which direction and to be able to trust that any player will be able to get the job done," she stated.

It seemed momentum finally was swinging in the Jumpers' favor following a kill from McBride and back-to-back aces from Addison Fleshman to bring them within two points. Things got out of hand in a hurry though, as Somerset was forced to burn their two timeouts near the end of the set following several kills from Lancaster, a kill apiece from Strunk and Atwood and an ace from Brooklyn York. Back-to-back kills from Ava King, including a perfectly placed tip for the set-winner, gave the second set to the Maroons 25-17, putting them one set away for the first complete regular season sweep in this rivalry since 2018.

The situation was bad for the Jumpers, but it could have been worse. A 7-0 hole to start off the third set you say? Yeah, that will do it. Travis was able to hold her serve tremendously well early on, earning three aces, with Ava King throwing in four early kills as Somerset was immediately forced to spend a timeout to calm things down. It seemed to work briefly as Haynes earned a kill soon after the timeout. Somerset kept on trying to make little runs during the set, but still found themselves down 15-8 midway through the set as they spent another timeout.

Photo by Jacob Pratt: Pulaski's senior libero Brooklyn York dives to the court in an effort to save the ball during the game between the Lady Maroons and the Somerset Lady Jumpers on Thursday evening.

Three kills from Lancaster, who was having a terrific game in her return to the Briar Patch after playing there her three previous years, gave her team a 20-15 lead as Somerset was outscoring the Maroons late in the set. Haynes had a kill to trim the Pulaski lead down to six, but with the Maroons just needing two points to claim the victory, who was going to step up to send them to victory? Turns out, predictably, it was Ava King, as the senior recorded a block and the game-winning kill on a furious spike to earn the 25-17 third set win and hand her team the 3-0 sweep of the Jumpers in her last-ever regular season game at the Briar Patch. Coach McCollum was joyful of the success her team has experienced over the past few weeks.

"We are finally all meshing, finally all on the same page. We are all on the same page and their motivation to make it far in the postseason is fueling them," she explained.

Pulaski improves to 11-5 and will be in action back at home on Tuesday, where they will welcome in the Lady Rebels of Casey County for another district contest.

Somerset falls to 4-14 and are now on a 12-game losing streak. The Jumpers will hope to snap that on Tuesday, as they will take on the Lady Raiders of McCreary Central right back at the Briar Patch.

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