Needing a single point to prevail in the fifth set of Monday’s 13th-District volleyball semifinal, the Todd County Central Lady Rebels instead saw a spot in Tuesday’s championship match slip away after hosts Franklin-Simpson rallied for a dramatic 3-2 (25-21, 25-23, 21-25, 17-25, 16-14) victory.
Todd Central ends the season with a 15-18 record and will miss the 4th-Region tournament for the first time in five years. Franklin-Simpson advanced to the district title match for the first time since 2018, snapping a four-year postseason losing streak to the Lady Rebels.
The Lady Wildcats used a 7-0 run to take control in the opening set on Monday, leading 12-5. The Lady Rebels closed to within a point at 18-17 after a kill by Ariana Hudson, but Franklin-Simpson pulled away for a 25-21 win.
The Lady Rebels took three of the first four points to start the second before Franklin answered with a five-point spurt and never trailed again. A 6-2 run highlighted by a kill and a pair of aces for Lynnlee Jones tied the set at 19-19, but the Lady Wildcats overcame a couple of service errors down the stretch for a 25-23 victory.
While Franklin looked to be the aggressor at the net in the first two sets, the Lady Rebels went on the attack in the third behind Allyssa Wofford and Jones. Jones again delivered a pair of timely aces to break a 17-17 tie, and she added a kill on the final point for a 2-1 score.
With momentum on their side, the Lady Rebels surged to a 10-5 advantage to start the fourth set and maintained a five-point cushion after Wofford’s kill made it 20-15. Todd Central finished it with a 5-2 run to force a decisive final set.
A 6-3 Lady Rebel lead forced a Franklin timeout, but the Lady Wildcats battled back to nose in front 8-7. Consecutive kills by Aubri Penick and another by Jones led to another Franklin timeout with the Lady Rebels up 12-9, and they were within a point of closing out the match at 14-12 after a kill by Chloe Willis.
However, after tying the set on Annsleigh Bonner’s kill, Mareena Kay delivered two straight aces to deal Todd Central a cruel defeat.
Wofford led the Lady Rebels with 15 kills, followed by Jones with 13 kills, five aces, and two blocks.
Penick finished with nine kills, Shelby Holderman collected 22 assists and a pair of aces, and Willis delivered 20 assists with three kills.
Franklin-Simpson improved to 20-16 and will face Logan County in Tuesday’s district finale. The Lady Cougars have taken home the trophy every season since joining the district in 2010.
