SEMIFINAL BATTLE

The Corbin Lady Redhounds advanced to the 13^th Region Volleyball finals with a two-set win over the Whitley County Lady Colonels Thursday night. The win will match the two 50^th district rivals against each other for the sixth time this season. South Laurel has won five of those matches.

Playing without starters Caitlyn Walden and Brittany Sergent, it was an uphill battle from the get-go for the Lady Colonels. And, from the start it looked like it was going to be a Corbin rout.

The Lady Redhounds jumped out to a 7-3 lead before Whitley County Coach David Halcomb was forced to call a timeout and settle his team down. Corbin went on to outscore the Lady Colonels 8-3 and took a 15-6 lead in the game when the momentum turned.

Junior Carley Louthan gave Whitley County a boost and the front line begin to play much stronger with the likes of Kayla Sears, Candis Powell, Elizabeth Patrick and Alyssa Monhollen turning back Corbin returns.

Whitley County went on a 9-3 run and pulled within one (17-16) behind three Monhollen points including two aces.

Corbin senior Tori Osborne pushed the lead back out to two before Ashley Lindsay scored two points that gave Whitley County the lead, 19-18. Coach Alecia Elwell took a timeout and the Lady Redhounds came back to tie the game on a rally point.

Jamie King scored two points as Sears hit the ball long, resulting in a 21-19 score. Sears rebounded with a kill, but Candis Powell hit the net on a serve as the Lady Redhounds benefited from the rally point. Senior Morgan Brock finished out the scoring with three straight points and a 25-20 win in the first set.

The second set again saw Corbin jumped out to a 6-1 lead as King and Brock served up the Corbin points. Corbin (19-15) moved ahead 9-3 before Whitley County charged back behind Powell and Monhollen. The Lady Colonels (21-11) pulled within two (9-7) on back-to-back kills by Monhollen.

King and Brock took charge as Corbin took a 17-11. Whitley County pulled within 17-14, but could never get any closer than two.

An ace by Osborne saw Corbin put the game on the line, 24-18, but the Lady Redhounds couldn’t put the game away. A rally point gave Whitley County little hope as Lindsay stepped to the line. She scored an ace, followed by kills from Patrick and Sears and the Lady Colonels were within two, 24-22.

Corbin regrouped and scored the winning point to advance to the championship game with a 25-22 victory.

Corbin reached the finals with a two-set win (25-16, 25-22) over Harlan County while Whitley County had to come from behind to beat Clay County, 21-25, 25-13, 25-15.

 PHOTO: Whitley County’s Alyssa Monhollen scored a point when she rejected a shot by Corbin’s Vanessa Wiseman.