Anyone scanning 13th Region volleyball scores Thursday night may assume Harlan County had a relatively easy time in a 3-0 win in a 52nd District showdown matchup against visiting Bell County.
Anyone would be wrong.
The Lady Bears had to rally in each set for the 25-23, 26-24, 25-21 victory.
Bell led 14-12 in the first set and was tied at 18-18 before HCHS pulled away. The Lady Cats raced to a 9-4 lead in the second set, led 19-15 after an Alexis Brown ace and was one point away from victory up 24-23 before the Lady Bears scored the final three points. Bell scored the first four points in the third set and led 14-13 on an Adyson Scott kill before HCHS closed strong once again.
Bell County fell to 6-3, losing its third straight match after opening the season with six straight victories.
“We battled, but we made too many mistakes,” Bell County coach Shawn Fultz said. “We have to keep working and keep playing and stay together. Harlan County is a good team.”
The Lady Bears improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in district action.
“Credit to Bell County. They came ready to play and challenged us on every volley,” Harlan County coach Greg York said. “The last few season every time we have played Bell County it has been a battle. Our team showed incredible mental toughness tonight. We were down in each set, but we never gave up and found a way to fight back every time. This 3-0 clean sweep is a testament to our hard work and what we can accomplish when we play together.”
Kairi Lamb, Bell’s standout 6-3 senior, helped the Lady Cats take an early lead. Harlan County reeled off five straight points with Savannah Hill serving to go up 24-20 after a Sophie Day kill. Lamb cut the deficit to one before Hill’s kill gave HC the win.
Bell was within one point of a win in the second set after Lamb and Brown took turns with big points. Karli Shoupe and Madi Nolan gave the Lady Bears the win with a 3-0 run to close the set.
An Adyson Scott kill gave Bell a 14-13 lead in the third set before another HC run led by Kalista Dunn, Abigail Blackburn, Hill, Hoiska and Nolan finished off the match.
Bell County plays at Knox Central on Monday. Harlan County returns to action Tuesday against Cumberland Home School in Corbin.
