BARBOURVILLE — Middlesboro and Barbourville met for the third time this season Monday, and the latest matchup lived up to the previous two as the Yellow Jackets came away with a 3-1 victory.
Middlesboro won 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 25-21 to improve to 18-8 on the season, while Barbourville fell to 11-14.
The opening set stayed tight early, with Middlesboro holding a 7-5 lead before Barbourville cut the deficit to 10-9. The Yellow Jackets then put together a 12-5 run to build a 22-14 advantage.
Barbourville refused to go away, answering with a 9-3 run that trimmed Middlesboro’s lead to 24-23. After a Yellow Jacket timeout, Middlesboro secured the next point to close out the first set 25-23.
The second set was another back-and-forth battle. Barbourville led 6-4 before Middlesboro battled back in front. The Tigers later regained the advantage at 14-12, and the teams continued trading points throughout the set.
With the score tied at 22, Barbourville moved ahead 24-22. Middlesboro cut the margin to one, but the Tigers took the next point to win the set 25-23 and even the match at 1-1.
Middlesboro took control early in the third. After Barbourville scored the first two points, the Yellow Jackets responded with eight straight to build an 8-2 lead. Barbourville trimmed the margin to 8-5, but Middlesboro gradually stretched the advantage and eventually went ahead 23-15 before closing out the set 25-19.
The fourth set followed a similar pattern, with neither team able to create much separation early. The score was tied at 8 and again at 11 before Middlesboro scored three straight to take a 14-11 lead.
Barbourville fought back to tie the set at 14 and later at 16, but the Yellow Jackets regained control down the stretch. Middlesboro moved ahead 20-17, then 22-19, before finishing off the set 25-21 to secure the match.
The victory gave Middlesboro the season-series edge over Barbourville at 2-1. The Tigers had handed the Yellow Jackets their only loss to a 13th Region Class A opponent earlier this season in a five-set thriller, while Middlesboro answered with a sweep during the 13th Region All “A” Tournament.
