The district dominance continued Tuesday night for the McCracken County High School volleyball team. And, it doesn’t appear as if anyone will derail the Mustangs anytime soon.
McCracken County (16-14) secured its 14th-consecutive Second District championship in its own gymnasium, defeating Paducah Tilghman 25-7, 25-15, 25-14. The victory sends the Mustangs to the regional tournament, scheduled to get under way Monday, Oct. 26 at Paducah Tilghman High School.
In 35 matches against Paducah Tilghman since 2013, McCracken County has lost only set. That came in 2020 in a regular season match.
t is also the third time the Mustangs have beaten the Blue Tornado this year.
“They were the better team tonight, without question,” Paducah Tilghman Coach Gwen Duncan said. “They came out and did what they were supposed to do. We did not perform like we could have, but they (the Mustangs) are a fundamentally sound team for sure. I wish we could have put up more of a fight. But we just have to get our minds set right. They are a phenomenal team. We’re just going to have to regroup now for the regionals.”
The Blue Tornado (17-5) also advance to the regional tournament next week, which it will host.
McCracken County senior hitter Mollie Canter said the Lady Mustangs’ dominance within the district isn’t difficult to explain.
“We have a legacy here at McCracken in volleyball, and that’s simply to win,” said Canter, a senior, who made the all-district team that was announced Tuesday night. “It’s because we come out every day in practice and in the games and just work hard. There’s no formula except hard work. But you know what? We have a lot of fun too. So, we’re going to continue to work hard, we’re going to continue to have fun for the rest of the season and we’ll see how far that takes us.”
First-year Coach Izzy Myers, who played one match against McCracken County in 2021 as a player with Ballard Memorial, said she’s pleased to be able to continue the winning legacy at McCracken County and that this year’s district title is certainly no surprise although the Mustangs have lost 14 times this year.
“It’s been a challenge this season, but these girls know what they’re supposed to do and they come out and do it every day--whether it’s in practice or in matches,” Myers said. “These girls know what the score is here. They know the school has been dominant over the years and the girls, especially the seniors, aren’t about to let that end. They are determined to keep it going. As their first-year coach, it’s easy to coach these girls and the communication between us is really good.”
McCracken County raced to a 6-0 lead in the first set Tuesday night. The Mustangs scored seven of the final eight points to win the first set.
The second set proved to be tighter in the early going as Tilghman stayed close at 9-7. The Mustangs, however, scored six of the next seven points for a 15-8 advantage before pulling away late.
The Blue Tornado led the third set on two different early occasions, but McCracken County went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-3 lead, led by the hitting of senior Lilly Hamilton, who finished with eight kills in the final set.
Members of the all-district team included Paducah Tilghman’s Hailyn Hughes, Ma Kel Ridgeway and Lily Coomer; Community Christian Academy’s Riley Arnett; St. Mary’s Kynnlee Brummett and Alyssa Carter; and McCracken County’s Mollie Canter, Lilly Hamilton, Kambell Dunning and Caroline Presswood.