By: Samantha Verst
The Pendleton County Ladycats volleyball team enjoyed their week off but are ready to get back to work as they begin their postseason play this week.
The 38th District Tournament begins tonight when Harrison County and Nicholas County play at 6:00 p.m. The Ladycats will follow this game as they take on Robertson County at 7:30 p.m. The winner of each of these competitions will face each other in the district championship on October 19th, at 6:30 p.m.
The favorite to win the district would be Harrison County, who comes into the tournament with a 8-0 district record. The Fillies captured their 10th consecutive 38th district title during last year’s 2022 season. Harrison County has been the district champion since 2013. The Fillies come into the postseason sitting at a record of 25-9 and under the leadership of head coach Dr. Bill Faulkner. The team’s offense is led by Marissa Taylor who averages 4.16 kills per set (29th in the state). Lillian Watson and Chloe Martin bring heavy action to the net with their combined 29 solo blocks this season. The Ladycats will have to defend the net well if they face Harrison County once again during their postseason run.
The Lady Devils of Robertson County have had one of their most successful seasons in years thus far. They come into the postseason with a 16-14 season record and 2-6 district record. Robertson County is once again under the leadership of head coach Ann Grause. The last time that the Lady Devils made it to the district championship was in 2012 when they lost to Pendleton County. Key players to keep an eye on include Emma Adamson who averages 2.84 kills per set as well as 1.84 aces per set (5th in the state), and Ruby Gay who returned a couple weeks ago after being injured up until that point. Pendleton County split 1-1 with the Lady Devils. In their first match-up, Robertson County was without Ruby Gay, and in their second match-up, Pendleton County was without key player Allison Aulick. Therefore, the two teams will face off for the first time this season in which the entirety of both teams’ players are present and healthy, which should make for a great competition.
Nicholas County comes into the district tournament under the new leadership of head coach Victoria Arms, with a season record of 13-11 and a district record of 1-4. Kylie Earlywine serves a threat with her average of 1.25 aces per set (20th in the state). Morgan Broderick poses a threat at the net with her 72 blocks this season. Nicholas County will look to defeat Harrison County and find themselves playing for the district championship for the first time since 2018 when they lost to the Fillies.
The Pendleton County Ladycats come into the postseason with a season record of 15-12 and a district record of 2-3. Head coach Jeff Sears will compete in his first district tournament with the program. When asked about his thoughts regarding the postseason, Coach Sears stated, “We hope to get out to a quick start against our opponents. The last 2-3 weeks we’ve been getting off to slow starts and that won’t fly in postseason. We’ll have to be at our best. We’ve lost some matches this season that we shouldn’t have, and the common thread in those losses were slow starts due to unforced errors.” The Ladycat offense is led by Allison Aulick who averages 2.50 kills per game, and Madison Verst poses as a defensive threat with her average of 6.10 digs per set (14th in the state). The Ladycats will look to win their first district championship since 2012.