HARLAN — Whitley County displayed the heart of a champion on Thursday, surviving two match points to capture its third consecutive 13th Region championship.
The Lady Colonels fought back from a 2-1 deficit in set play, winning the final two sets 25-12 and 17-15 to keep their season alive and advance to the KHSAA Volleyball State Tournament.
Whitley County won the first set 25-18 but fell in the second set 25-15 and the third set 25-18. Down but not out, the Lady Colonels mounted a comeback that will be remembered for years to come.
After taking the fourth set 25-12, Whitley County faced a challenging fifth set, trailing throughout, including staring down two match points at 14-13 and 15-14.
In a thrilling finish, the Lady Colonels reeled off three straight points to secure the victory, extending their 13th Region Tournament win streak to nine games.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and don’t know if I’ve been a part of such an epic battle on such a big stage,” Whitley County coach David Halcomb said. “I’m so proud of our girls for the grit and determination. This was a total team effort, my assistant coaches were phenomenal and we couldn’t have pulled this out without our pep club and fans. My girls just simply played their guts out. Our backs were against the wall, but our we executed when we had to. We’ve preached to them all year to value every point and our girls did that. They could have laid down and quit.
“I knew this was possible with this team from all the way back in the spring,” he added. “I think at times the girls doubted themselves and that they were capable of this. People in the area doubted us, but we were confident. I think what changed that was when they followed us to camp and we were able to beat them at UNF Camp this summer. That was our baseline and our reference point. We knew then we were right there and had so much room to improve if we just kept working and that’s exactly what these girls did. I couldn’t be happier right now — this group is the essence of team. Super proud of them — back-to-back-to back! Wow — just awesome!”
Tuesday’s matchup marked the fifth meeting of the season between the two teams along with the fifth consecutive year they met in the regional title game.
The five-set win gave Whitley County its second win over Corbin this season while moving the Lady Colonels to 3-2 against the Lady Redhounds during the past five meetings in the region championship.
The win improved the Whitley County to 29-10 overall and 18-3 against regional opponents while Corbin ends the season with a 27-8 mark and 16-2 against regional opponents.
