McCracken County volleyball kept its standing against local competition, taking down Paducah Tilghman in three straight sets (25-12, 25-9, 25-9) Thursday night in a district showdown. The win secures the No. 1 spot in the Second District tournament in a few weeks.
Commanding service games from McCoy Gregory and Kendall Walker, paired with a strong attack from Neely Nyberg and Lilly Hamilton, got the job done for the Lady Mustangs from start to finish. Gregory helped her team to an early lead while at service, taking a 12-4 lead in the first set with the help of kills from Kambell Dunning and Nyberg.
While Tilghman had its moments and climbed back to within five points at the 15-10 mark, McCracken kept at it, keeping Tilghman to only two more points for the rest of the set for the 25-12 set win.
Kambell Dunning took a run at serving early in the second set, helping with a 9-0 run for a 13-4 lead with three aces sprinkled throughout. Kills from Nyberg along the way would help keep the momentum going and aces from Gregory and a final kill from Neely would secure the second set at 25-9.
In an effort to avoid a sweep, Tilghman kept the third set close with a strong defensive presence at the net, keeping the score close at the 5-5 mark. An ace from Kendall Walker would shift the game as her skills at service would prove critical from the 6-5 mark to the 20-5 mark.
With Walker dealing the ball and Lilly Hamilton delivering the kills, the Lady Mustangs quickly ran away with the final set. Tilghman was able to sneak in a few more points before it was said and done, but a kill from Dunning would seal the deal at 25-9 and complete the night.
McCracken County improves to 11-9 on the season and will take the week off to enjoy Fall Break before getting back into district play with a home match against St. Mary on Tuesday, October 13, beginning their final four games of the season.
As for Tilghman, they fall to 13-4 on the year and will be back in action after the same break on Monday, October 12 to host Lyon County.