In just their second season of competing for the 8th District volleyball championship, the Heritage Christian Academy Lady Warriors have a trophy to call their own. The Lady Warriors picked up their first title by turning back the Christian County Lady Colonels three sets to one Thursday night in the district championship match before a noisy, packed house at University Heights Academy.
The Lady Warriors won for the 21st time this season as they picked up the championship. Heritage will enter next week’s 2nd Region tournament on an 8-match winning streak.
With the fans of both teams cranked up and ready to go from the moment they walked in the door, it was an electric atmosphere which both teams appeared to draw energy from as the match got underway.
Heritage Christian trailed only once in the opening set, that coming at 2-1. Led by a hot start from Katie Cansler, the Lady Warriors got to the front and took an 11-8 lead. Sparked by the play of Skylar Kirby, Christian County would get to within 11-10, but the Lady Colonels could not quite get back to the lead.
Grace Conley and Cansler helped the Lady Warriors pull away from that point to take the set 25-18 and go up one set to none.
The second set opened with the two teams going back and forth. Trailing 7-4, Christian County went on a 10 to 2 run to take a 14-9 lead. Skylar Kirby and Peyton Owens had big plays during that stretch that assisted in the Lady Colonels getting to the lead.
Heritage Christian could get no closer than three points for the rest of the set as the Lady Colonels went on to take a 25-18 win and even the match at one set each.
The third set saw Mya Goodwin have one of those stretches she had become known for over the course of the season. A stretch where she simply took over the match. With the set even at 2-2, HCA delivered a knockout blow by going on an 11-1 run to go up 13-3. Goodwin came up with two kills and four aces during that blitz as the Lady Warriors took firm control of the set and pulled away to win 25-14 to go up two sets to one, and putting the Christian County Lady Colonels with their backs against the wall.
Christian County opened the fourth set by taking a 6-2 lead but the Lady Warriors battled back starting a pattern that would carry through the set, a pattern that saw the Lady Colonels get a lead only to see the Lady Warriors battle right back. As you would expect, two of the best players in the 2nd Region, Mya Goodwin and Skylar Kirby, put it all on the table in set.
The Lady Colonels took a 22-20 lead late in the set and appeared to be about ready to force the all-deciding 5th set. But this night would belong to the Lady Warriors. HCA finished on a 5-1 run to take the set 25-23 and win the title three sets to one.
Mya Goodwin made her case for being among the best in the region. She finished the night with 23 kills, 5 aces, and one assist. Katie Cansler added 7 kills and two aces. Grace Conley chipped in with 6 aces, some of them at big, big moments in the match.
Mackenzie McCarty continues to become one of the area’s best at setting up her team. McCarty had 26 assists. Hadlee Hayes had 8 for the night.
Skylar Kirby had a big night in the loss for the Lady Colonels. She finished with 11 kills and 5 service aces. Kaidence Atwell finished with 9 kills. Peyton Owens also had five service aces for the Lady Colonels.
Both teams will now advance to the 2nd Region tournament. HCA (21-5) will face off against Henderson County, Madisonville-North Hopkins, or Livingston Central.
Christian County (12-18) will take on Caldwell County, Union County, or Crittenden County. The draw for the region tournament, which will be at Hopkinsville High School, is Friday morning.
