Whitley defeats Corbin in 2022 13th Region volleyball finals

After a years-long drought against Corbin, the Whitley County Lady Colonels volleyball team was finally able to get the monkey off their backs in 2022, defeating the Lady Hounds for a district championship title one week ago, and then again for this year’s 13^th Region crown on Thursday night.

Ever since Corbin and Whitley became district rivals again on the volleyball court in 2017, the Lady Hounds have been dominant in the series. In 2017, they defeated the Lady Colonels three times en route to winning a regional title and appearing in the KHSAA state championship tournament. They repeated that feat in 2018, twice defeating Whitley, and then again in 2019, going 3-0 against the Colonels.

In 2020, Corbin beat Whitley three times, with two of those wins coming in the finals of the 50^th District and 13^th Region tournaments. 2021 was yet another heartbreaking year for the Colonels, losing to the Lady Hounds on four separate occasions, including losses in the district and regional tournament finals.

So, after all of that, to say that the Whitley County faithful were happy to see their team come out on top of this year’s 50^th District and 13^th Region tournaments would be a pretty huge understatement. After a 3-1 win (25-21, 25-19, 15-25, 25-21) over Corbin in last week’s district championship game at Williamsburg High School, a rematch took place Thursday evening at Corbin High School with a regional title and trip to state on the line.

It was an intense, back-and-forth affair, but in the end it was the Lady Colonels who managed to walk away victorious in four sets, 3-1 (22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23). The win improves Whitley to 24-14 on the season, and gives them their first 13^th Region championship since 2016, when they also bested Corbin in the finals.

The Lady Hounds end their 2022 campaign with an overall record of 21 wins and 11 losses.

The Colonels now set their sights on next week’s KHSAA state tournament, where they will meet up with 14^th Region champions Wolfe County (22-11) in the first round. The game will be contested in Wolfe County this Monday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m.

Should Whitley advance, they will face either Paintsville or Notre Dame at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester on Thursday, Nov. 3.

Look inside the Nov. 2 print edition for additional details. More information on the upcoming state volleyball tournament can also be found online at KHSAA.org.

2022 13^th Region volleyball All-Tournament team members: Ava Maguet (Corbin), Caroline Combs (Corbin), Darcie Anderson (Corbin), Emma Ashurst (Corbin), Addison Siler (Whitley County), Jaelyn Brackett (Whitley County), Megan Gibbs (Whitley County), Kylee Brown (Whitley County), Marissa Douglas (Whitley County)

Tournament Most Valuable Player: Kaytlynn Collier (Whitley County)