After a record-breaking season in 2024 that ended in the 13th Region Tournament semifinals for the second straight year, the Harlan County Lady Bears set the bar extremely high for 2025.
With a 13-12 record heading into Thursday’s game against visiting Harlan, the Lady Bears have been looking for momentum heading into the postseason. They may have found some in a 25-10, 25-5, 25-12 victory that moved them within one win of clinching the 52nd District’s top seed. The Lady Bears never trailed in any of the three sets and dominated throughout in running their district mark to 4-1.
“When you play a schedule as tough as ours, you get tested every single night,” Harlan County assistant coach Greg York said. “Tonight was a big win for us; we have lost a lot of close games lately. Tonight was a visible payoff for all the hard work the girls have done. It reminded the girls how good they can be and gave us that final burst of strong momentum we need to carry us into the postseason.”
Harlan stayed close in the first set, down 8-7 at one point. Kills by Kalista Dunn and Madi Nolan started a 7-0 run before a Shaedyn Crow kill temporarily slowed the Lady Bears. Nolan had three aces as part of a 9-0 surge to end the set.
Kylee Hoiska, Abigail Blackburn and Nolan had points as HC opened the second set with a 4-0 spurt. Hoiska and Ashlynn Williamson each had aces as part of a 9-2 run. Dunn followed Nolan’s lead as she reeled off eight unanswered points serving to close the second set. Hoiska and Nolan added kills in the run.
Hoiska had three aces as HC went on a 6-0 run to go up 11-2 In the third set. Nolan, Blackburn and Hoiska each had kills as the Lady Bears moved with one point of finishing off the match before Cheyenne Childers came up with a point before Hoiska’s kill closed the night.
The loss was the sixth straight for the Lady Dragons and 13th in the last 14 matches.
Hoiska led the Lady Bears with 10 kills, six service aces, two blocks and two digs. Savannah Hill had 20 assists, five aces, three digs and two kills. Blackburn added seven kills and one dig. Nolan added five kills, four aces, two digs and one assist. Dunn had six kills, six digs, five aces and one assist. Williamson added five digs, four aces and three assists. Karli Shoupe had four digs.
No statistics were available for Harlan.
Harlan County will close its district schedule Monday at home against Middlesboro then travel to South laurel on the Thursday to end the regular season. The 6-21 Lady Dragons play at June Buchanan on Monday, then play host to Berea on Tuesday and close the season Wednesday at Middlesboro.
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Harlan County won 21-9, 21-10 in the freshman game and 21-7, 21-13 in junior varsity action.
