Old nemesis Greenwood popped back into the picture Thursday as the defending regional champion Logan County Lady Cougar Volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision on the road to the Lady Gators.
The Lady Gators won the first two games in close combat 25-23 and 25-22. Coach Steven Lyne’s Lady Cougars came back to take the third round 25-19, but Greenwood won the final stanza 25-17.
Greenwood has won more regional championships than any other school since volleyball became a leading sport this century, and usually their opponent in the regional finals has been Logan County. Last year, however, under new coach Lauren Brown the Lady Gators slumped to a 13-22 record and didn’t make it to region. The Lady Cougars won both head-to-head matches last season.
This year, however, Greenwood is 4-0 under another new coach, Jason Reels. The Lady Gators have won over district foes Warren East, Warren Central and Bowling Green in straight games. The Lady Cougars were the first team to win a game against them.
Logan went 34-8 last year, beating Allen County-Scottsville, BGH and South Warren in the regional tournament and Raceland in the first round at state before falling in the quarterfinals to Lexington Henry Clay.
The Lady Cougars went on the attack 111 times in Thursday’s match, recording 37 kills. Chanler Steenbergen had 8 kills in 28 attacks with Jaclyn Batchelor getting 7 kills in 17 tries, Brianna Wooden 6 of 11, Kapreshia Powell 4 of 14 and Chelsey Hopkins 3 of 11.
Amber Carroll and Batchelor each fired 3 aces, Catherine Miller 2. and Karrah Cron, LeeAnn Coots, Molly Latham and Steenbergen 1 each. Kerra Cormist blocked 8 shots, Wooden 4, Steenbergen 3, Powell 2 and Batchelor 1.
Carroll came up with 22 digs, Miller 9, and Hopkins and Steenbergen 7 each. Cron was credited with 14 assists, Latham 9, Coots 8 and Hopkins 1
The Lady Cougars are now 2-2 this season. The wins are to district opponents Franklin-Simpson and Todd Central by an average score of 25-11. The other loss was by 3-0 to last year’s regional runner-up, South Warren.
The next two matches for the Lady Cougars will be in the 13th District, a league in which they’ve won 82 straight matches and 11 straight tournaments. Todd Central will be at LCHS this Tuesday, and Logan will go to Russellville to face Coach Deborah Elliott’s Lady Panthers on Monday, Sept. 8.