Whiteoak defeats Lynchburg-Clay in tough 3-game sweep

MOWRYSTOWN — All three of the sets played in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference rivalry game between the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats and Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs ended within five or fewer points of the victor.

That said, it was the host Lady Wildcats of Whiteoak defending their home court Tuesday night against the Lady Mustangs, sweeping the match in three straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 25-21.

Set one belonged to Whiteoak, never losing the lead and taking a 7-0 advantage to start the opening set with Jaylie Parr, Adrionna Phillips, Brianna Hill and Kylee Hamm combining with hits and aces for the seven-point lead, forcing LCHS to call a timeout.

WHS scored the first point following the timeout, but the next three points went to the Lady Mustangs, including an ace by Joslyn Rockey for an 8-3 score still in favor of WHS.

LC’s Addy Carraher scored a point, but a kill by Whiteoak’s Hamm lifted their lead to 10-4. Another kill from Lydia Carr later put Whiteoak ahead by eight points at 12-4, but LCHS continued to battle with an ace by Carraher, and as the set went on, it was WHS leading 17-8 following a big hit across the net from Hill of WHS.

Lynchburg-Clay got to within a 17-13 score as a block by Mattie Magee and a serve from Allison Rockey made it a 17-13 deficit for the visiting Lady Mustangs.

WHS later extended their set-one lead to 20-13 following a point off a hit from Parr, but LCHS continued to keep close with Whiteoak as an ace from Kylie O’Connor and another point off a serve by O’Connor made it a 20-17 score with LCHS battling to chase WHS for the lead.

Whiteoak’s Hill stepped up big time with three straight points scored, including two points off serves, and Hamm followed with a point of her own, leaving the Lady ’Cats ahead 24-17. LC tried to make one last comeback attempt, including a play at the net by Magee, but eventually with LCHS hitting their own side of the net, WHS won the opening set, 25-20.

The second set was played even closer with the score being tied 12 times, all the way from 4-4 up to the latter stages of the set at 23-23.

WHS began set two with a 2-0 lead with a serve from Hill and a point scored by Marley Gobin. The set continued with the score being tied at 4-4, 5-5 and 6-6, by LCHS gained their first lead of the match in set two with a 7-6 advantage, then added to it with a point scored at the net by Halle Greene and an ace from Ava Doughman for a 9-6 lead.

Whiteoak kept battling and eventually tied the score at 9-9 with a kill from Hill and an ace by Carr. WHS took a quick lead at 10-0, but LCHS just quickly tied the score at 10, and took the lead with an ace from Greene for an 11-10 score.

WHS tied the score at 11 and regained the lead with a point from Gobin for a 12-11 advantage. As the set continued, the score was tied at 14, 15, 16, 18 and 19, and after the 18th point was scored, the ball landed in the rafters and stayed there for the duration of the match.

With a new game ball, the match continued and WHS regained the lead at 19-18, building a 21-19 lead, as LCHS called a timeout.

After WHS added another point for a 22-19 lead, LCHS answered with a point at the net for a 22-21 score. WHS kept the lead a little longer it at a 23-22 advantage, but LCHS tied the score at 23 following an ace by Greene, with the fans in attendance on the edge of their seat as the set winded down.

WHS took control once again, scoring the final two points with a kill by Hill and another hard-hit ball by Hill off an LCHS player to earn the 25-23 set-two win.

Set three saw only one tied score — at 1-1 — as Whiteoak kept the lead the rest of the way, as points scored by Claire Ames, Hamm and Madison Schum left WHS ahead 8-4.

Greene added a point for LCHS at the net, but as set three kept going, WHS added to their lead with a point by Carr, and later Ames scored another point for the Lady ’Cats, putting the score at 11-8.

LCHS eventually called a timeout when WHS had a 14-8 lead, and eventually that score went to 19-15 as both teams continued their SHAC battle.

WHS took 22-17 advantage with an ace by Carr, and in the final stages of the third set WHS has their final two points come off hits by Ames for the 25-21 lead and three-set match win.

 The win by Whiteoak leaves them 7-2 in the SHAC and 9-3 overall, as they are second place in the Division II standings. LCHS now stands at 3-6 in the SHAC Division I standings with an overall record of 3-9.

Next for Whiteoak is a non-conference game on Saturday, Sept. 23, as they are in a tri-meet at Washington C.H. against the Lady Blue Lions and Southeastern.

LCHS is scheduled to play again Wednesday, Sept. 20 at home against Felicity-Franklin at 7 p.m. in a non-conference game.