Pineville and Barbourville hooked up on an old-fashioned back and forth battle during 51st District volleyball action on Monday with the Lady Mountain Lions coming away with a 3-2 win.
The win improved Samantha North’s squad to 5-6 on the season while the Lady Tigers fell to 1-5.
Pineville win the first two sets, 26-24, and 25-19 before Barbourville rallied to win the next two sets, 25-21, and 25-22.
The Lady Mountain Lions regained momentum in the final set, pulling off a 15-5 victory.
The five-set match marked the third time Pineville has had a match go all five sets this season, and fourth time for Barbourville.
“Goodness, I’d love an easy game once in a while,” North said. “Barbourville is easily one of the most scrappy teams I’ve seen. They give maximum hustle every play and have taken sets from some excellent teams this year and I see why. We found the will to win tonight yet again, for which I’m super proud of my team.
“We had girls step up at the right time and our seniors showed incredible leadership,” she added. “We had something to prove tonight in our first district matchup, and the girls answered in the fifth set. Now we move on to tomorrow to battle Knox Central.”
Pineville will travel to play rival Knox Central Tuesday while Barbourville will hit the road and play Harlan.
