Just two days after a five-set loss to winless Trigg County, the Hopkinsville Lady Tigers bounced back with a win over Madisonville-North Hopkins in four sets on Thursday.
For Lady Tiger coach Laykin Peek, the turnaround was satisfying and began in practice on Wednesday.
“We changed our whole demeanor in practice. It was more of a positive practice and I wanted the girls to have fun again. We were trying to find the love of volleyball again and it seemed like they did,” she said.
Peek credited an improved serve-receive game that allowed 12 aces against Madisonville after giving up 25 against Trigg County on Tuesday.
“That part of our game is improved and we’re working on our coverage every day. They did an awesome job, and I appreciate everything that they did today,” Peek said.
In the first set, Hopkinsville used strong play at the net from Madysen Taggart and Saralynn Major to take a 12-7 advantage. They were able to sustain the lead and claim a 25-15 set win behind four kills and two blocks from Taggart and three kills from Major.
It was Madisonville’s turn to be strong at the net in the second set, jumping out to an 11-6 lead. Mackenzie Stoltz had five kills in the set with Myla Hughes and Sadie Kirk adding three kills each.
Hopkinsville battled back to knot the match at 14. What followed was a back-and-forth stretch that saw seven ties and four lead changes. A Hughes kill put the Lady Maroons up 24-22 with set point. But Hoptown rallied with a pair of points to tie the set at 24 and Major closed things out with consecutive kills for the 26-24 win.
Madisonville showed some life in the third set, leading wire to wire for a 25-15 win. Stoltz served five of Madisonville’s seven aces in the set.
Hopkinsville closed things out in the fourth set behind the swinging right arm of Taggart, who had six kills during a 12-6 start for the Lady Tigers. Madisonville would get no closer than five points as the Lady Tigers closed out the 25-16 set win.
Taggart finished with 15 kills and four blocks at the net. Major added six kills and three blocks, and Mariana Vieyra was a solid presence at the net with four kills and two blocks.
Kyleigh Weber had 11 assists and Brooke Stewart added 10 for the Lady Tigers, who lost in straight sets to Madisonville in their August 20 season opener.
It’s been a rough stretch for Madisonville, who was playing without an injured setter and lost another starter to injury in the second set. The Lady Maroons fell to 3-14 with their fifth straight loss.
Stoltz had nine kills, four aces, and 15 digs for Madisonville. Kirk added seven kills and eight digs, and Hughes and Leah Moody each had three kills.
Hopkinsville, now 2-8, will join Madisonville and over a dozen other teams participating in this weekend’s Quad State Tournament in Paducah.
