Christian County had wrapped up the top seed in the 8th District volleyball race.
Heritage Christian Academy had something to prove.
Playing in what has become one of the top home-court advantages in the region, the Lady Warriors beat the Lady Colonels in straight sets on Thursday 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 26-24) at Warrior Gym.
The final set saw HCA score the final six points to win the match and send the team and its fans into a wild celebration.
Christian County defeated HCA in four sets at Lyle Dunbar Gymnasium on August 29, ultimately deciding the top seed in next month’s district tournament. The district only uses the first match between schools to determine the seeding with HCA the No. 2 seed.
“I feel like we’ve got small things to fix. We’re going to pull it together and we’re going to be fine next week,” Christian County coach Samantha Self said. “I think that that was kind of a reality check for us a little bit and we have to know that nothing’s guaranteed. We have to fight for every point, every game, every match.”
The first set was tied four times before the Lady Colonels held a slim 10-9 advantage. A Mya Goodwin kill sparked a 13-0 run that saw Goodwin score four more points. Bralee Fowler, who had 19 aces in 15 matches, served up five aces and moved the Lady Warriors out to a 22-10 advantage.
“We’ve been working on being mentally focused and tough and being ready for each moment and I think they came out ready to win this game and ready for the big moment that it was,” HCA coach Grace Stewart said.
The Lady Colonels got a second wind and responded with four straight points – two by Ashlea Russell before HCA closed out the set.
Christian County held the lead for the early part of the second set before the Lady Warriors closed with a 6-3 run to claim the 25-20 win.
The third set was one of the more entertaining ones played this year featuring 11 ties and four lead changes. Nine of the ties came before Christian County used a 5-0 run to take a 15-10 advantage.
The Lady Colonels got a strong night on the back line from players who are normally strong at the net. Skylar Kirby had 13 digs to go with 11 kills and two blocks. Shiloh Baker added eight digs and nine assists, and Peyton Owens had seven digs and six assists.
“We were looking a whole lot better up at the net and to their credit, they were hitting some really good angles that were a little bit tough to cover,” Self said.
HCA battled back to knot the third set at 17-17, but Christian County pushed it to set point at 24-20. HCA got a side out on a net violation and Goodwin followed with a kill to draw the Lady Warriors to within 24-22.
After a Lady Colonel attack error, Allie Craft served up consecutive aces and Goodwin closed out the win with her 16th kill in the match. Goodwin was later crowned the fall homecoming queen in a ceremony held following the match.
McKenzie McCarty added five kills and a dig, Fowler had six aces and a block, Craft had 15 digs, and three assists, and Grace Conley had four digs, two kills, and an assist.
“Those are players that don’t get mentioned but are a key to every win. They don’t get all the glory they should, but they were definitely huge,” Stewart said. “Grace being a presence at the net. Bralee’s serves in the first set is what got us going and got us ahead, and then Allie B is always working her butt off in the back row and creating the opportunity for us to put down the balls.”
Meanwhile, Christian County was swept in three sets for only the third time this season.
“I’m definitely not mad at that last set. I thought we really kind of pulled some stuff together,” Self said of her Lady Colonels. “In the first two sets, we were just handing away too many points. We weren’t even making them work for points half the time. We were missing serves and letting balls drop or just hitting stuff out, silly little mistakes that we just got to clean up.”
Christian County fell to 9-14 overall and 6-4 against region competition. After four straight wins over the Lady Warriors, the all-time series between the schools is now even at 4-4.
“HCA certainly brought their home court advantage. It was super loud in here. It was really hard to hear each other so props to them for that,” said Self.
Heritage Christian Academy improved to 13-4 with its sixth straight win and 8-2 against teams in the region.
“I think we’re getting more and more closer to where we want to be going into the postseason. They’re growing stronger by the day, and we’re going to keep working hard and keep staying humble and confident at the same time,” Stewart said.
HCA will play at University Heights Academy on Monday, while Christian County will host Crittenden County, also on Monday.
UNOFFICIAL STATS
CHRISTIAN COUNTY
Skylar Kirby – 11 kills, 13 digs, 2 blocks
Kaidence Atwell – 6 kills, 3 blocks, 2 assists
Shiloh Baker – 1 kill, 1 block, 9 assists, 8 digs
Peyton Owens – 1 kill, 1 ace, 7 digs, 6 assists
Ashlea Russell – 2 kills, 14 assists, 6 digs
Emma Webster – 3 kills, 2 blocks, 2 digs
Adreyona Smith – 3 kills, 2 blocks, 5 assists
Carly Armstrong – 6 kills, 2 blocks, 2 digs
HERITAGE CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Mya Goodwin – 16 kills, 2 aces, 15 digs
Katie Cansler – 7 kills, 16 digs
McKenzie McCarty – 5 kills, 9 assists, 1 ace, 1 dig
Grace Conley – 2 kills, 1 assist, 4 digs
Hadlee Hayes – 2 kills, 18 assists, 6 digs
Allie Craft – 3 assists, 2 aces, 15 digs
Bralee Fowler – 6 aces, 1 dig
