LONDON — North Laurel closed the regular season on a strong note Thursday night, sweeping Pineville 25-21, 27-25, 25-13 on Senior Night at the Jaguar Den.
The match marked the final home appearance for seniors Baylee Asher and Kyleigh Cassidy, with the Lady Jaguars finishing the night by completing a season sweep of Pineville.
North Laurel had also defeated the Lady Mountain Lions 3-1 in the season opener on Aug. 17.
The opening set remained tight throughout the early stages, with ties at 7, 10, 11 and 14. North Laurel eventually created some separation, but Pineville remained within striking distance and cut the lead to 22-20 and again to 23-21.
The Lady Jaguars answered by winning the final two points to secure the first set, 25-21.
Pineville came out stronger in the second and built a 10-5 advantage. North Laurel responded with a 10-3 run to take a 15-13 lead, then extended the margin to 18-13.
The Lady Mountain Lions refused to go away and battled back to move ahead 20-19. From there, the set became a back-and-forth battle with ties at 20, 21 and 22.
Pineville eventually grabbed a 24-22 lead, but North Laurel fought off the set points, tied it at 24 and moved ahead 25-24. After another tie at 25, the Lady Jaguars scored two of the final three points to take the set 27-25 and move within one set of the sweep.
Pineville again struck first in the third, taking a 4-1 lead, but North Laurel quickly took control. The Lady Jaguars won seven of the next eight points to move ahead 8-5 and later stretched the advantage to 16-9.
North Laurel continued pulling away, building a 21-11 lead before closing out the match with a 25-13 victory.
North Laurel will now turn its attention to postseason play, facing Jackson County on Monday in the 49th District Volleyball Tournament hosted by Clay County.
Pineville will face Barbourville on Monday in the 51st District Volleyball Tournament hosted by Knox Central.
Photo by Steve Black
