Lady Cats Celebrate 10 In A Row On Senior Night, Dig Pink Cancer Benefit Game

Lady Cat Senior Dina Hollis with her parents, Jay and April Hollis of Pig. (photo Alyssa Doyle)

Darren Doyle, story and photos
It was a big night for the Lady Cats Tuesday, October 11, 2016 as they celebrated senior night, Dig Pink Cancer Benefit, and their 10th win in a row against Hart County.

The evening began by honoring Lady Cat Senior Dina Hollis, as she was presented a medallion for her six years of Edmonson County volleyball. She was recognized with her parents, Jay and April Hollis of Pig at center court.

Just before the starting lineups were announced, each Lady Cat was recognized for whom they were dedicating their game, either in memory or in honor of someone affected by cancer. A portion of the gate and concessions along with a benefit silent auction was donated to a local family that is currently battling a second round of cancer. The Lady Cats raised almost a total of $2,000 during the event. 

Senior Dina Hollis eyes the ball during a serve against Hart County.

Mikayla Lindsey serves while popping a bubble against Hart County.

Edmonson County jumped out to a 5-0 start, forcing Hart County to use their first timeout. A quick bounce-back from the Lady Raiders rattled the Lady Cats and EC called timeout to gather themselves.

Edmonson County kept control of the game as Hart County was forced to take their final timeout with a Lady Cat lead of 19-13. The Lady Raiders took advantage of some errant serves and mental mistakes to cut the lead to 23-22, but Edmonson County wouldn't allow any more as they finished 25-22.

Sierra Kenney swats the ball over the net against Hart County.

Lady Cats wore pink laces and cancer ribbon socks during the contest.

The second set was even closer and the 22 consecutive set winning streak was threatened for the first time in weeks. The Lady Cats began things with a 3-0 lead, but Hart County bounced back to tie things up at 5-5 and took the lead on the next point, forcing the Lady Cats into a timeout at 6-5. It also marked the first deficit for Edmonson County since September 17 in the All A Classic.

The Lady Raiders once again had EC out of sorts and jumped out to a 10-5 lead. Edmonson County showed toughness and came back with a strong run of their own, tying the score at 10-10 and forcing a Hart County timeout.

A strong 7-2 run would end up making the difference as Hart County took their final timeout, trailing 17-12. The Lady Raiders fought back and scrapped their way back to a one point game with the Lady Cats leading 24-23, but a great set by Junior Shasta Smith was smashed by Junior Megan Dockery as she killed the ball over the net, giving the Lady Cats their 10th consecutive win along with 23 straight sets.

"Well, I was worried there for a bit, but obviously the outcome was what we wanted," said Head Coach Haley Garmon. "It was good for our girls to be put to the test tonight with the district tournament coming up."

The Lady Cats will be the number one seed in the District 12 Championship held next week at Butler County. They will face #4 seed Butler County on Tuesday, October 18, who has struggled this year with a record of 1-21. First serve is scheduled for 6pm.

A win will place Edmonson County in the championship game for the third year in a row where they will face the winner of Grayson County and Whitesville Trinity, two teams that match up well with the Lady Cats.

If the Lady Cats reach the district finals, the game will be broadcast live on WildcatsLive for the first live volleyball broadcast in school history.

"All of the things that the girls don't like, well, we're going to be working on them in practice on Wednesday," Garmon said, smiling.

The Lady Cats improved to 22-9 on the year. They are currently ranked number two in Region 3 and are 6-1 in district play. They will finish the regular season Thursday night on the road against Allen County Scottsville.

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