BARBOURVILLE — Knox Central remained perfect in district play with a straight-set victory over Barbourville, defeating the Lady Tigers 25-21, 25-14, 25-14.
The victory improved the Lady Panthers to 11-7 overall and 4-0 in district play, while Barbourville dropped to 11-10 overall and 2-2 in the district.
“My girls did a fantastic job tonight, and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” Knox Central coach Erin Salyers said. “After a heartbreaking loss at North Laurel last night, they came out tonight and played the game they know and love.
“Kennadi Jones dominated at the net,” she added. “Blakely Castle hustled and did a great job finding the open spots on the court. Milli Ledford played exceptional defense, and we are so proud of her. A huge congratulations to Milli on reaching 500 career digs.
“All of the girls were on top of their serves tonight, and we kept our service errors to a minimum,” Salyers continued. “There are still some things we need to dial in on, but these girls work hard, and we will continue to work hard every day. So proud of this group! Go Panther.”
The opening set was competitive throughout.
Knox Central held a narrow 23-21 advantage late before winning the final two points to secure a 25-21 victory.
The Lady Panthers wasted little time establishing control in the second set. Knox Central raced out to a 10-3 advantage and never looked back, pulling away for a 25-14 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Barbourville attempted to extend the match in the third set as the two teams battled to early ties at 5-5 and 6-6.
Knox Central then found another gear.
The Lady Panthers put together a 10-1 run to build a 16-7 advantage, but Barbourville answered with a 6-1 run of its own to cut the deficit to 17-13 and force a Knox Central timeout.
Whatever was said during the timeout worked.
Knox Central responded with six consecutive points to stretch its advantage to 23-13. The Lady Panthers then won two of the final three points to close out another 25-14 victory and complete the 3-0 sweep.
The night also included a special recognition for Knox Central senior libero Millie Ledford, who was honored after recording her 500th career dig earlier this season.
