Loogootee Jr-Sr High School

Lady Lions Fall Just Short in Five-Set Battle at Southridge The Loogootee Lady Lions traveled to southern Dubois County to take on the Southridge Lady Raiders for what turned into a lengthy night of volleyball. After dropping the opening set, Loogootee responded by winning the next two and eventually had multiple match-point opportunities in the fifth before Southridge escaped with a 20-25, 25-21, 25-13, 24-26, 15-17 victory. The loss moves the Lady Lions to 12-6 on the season. Loogootee opened the night with a 2-0 lead behind a kill from freshman Taryn Brown and a block by senior Alaina Diamond and sophomore Lydia Hawkins. Southridge quickly answered with a pair of aces to tie it. Another Diamond-Hawkins block and a Lady Raider error put Loogootee ahead 5-3, but Southridge eventually took its first lead at 8-7 and stretched it to 13-8. The Lady Lions responded behind Karmen Wilson at the service line. Three consecutive Southridge errors helped Loogootee close the gap before Hawkins found Diamond for a kill to complete the comeback and tie the set at 13. Southridge regained control, scoring five of the next six points. A Diamond kill pulled Loogootee within three, but another four-point Lady Raider run created a 22-15 advantage. Loogootee made one final push, including an ace from junior Savannah Green and a kill from Madison Davis, but Southridge held on to take the opener 25-20. Southridge carried its momentum into the second set, scoring the first four points, but Loogootee immediately responded. A Southridge error opened the door before back-to-back blocks from Hawkins and Brown and an Aubrey Gilbert ace erased the entire deficit and tied it at four. From there, the teams settled into a tight battle. A Green kill off a Gilbert assist put Loogootee ahead 8-7, Hawkins' swing made it 10-8, and a stretch of strong offensive volleyball pushed the advantage to 12-10. Wilson followed with an ace to make it 13-10. With Loogootee leading 18-16, consecutive kills from Hawkins and Davis provided some needed separation at 20-16. Southridge made a late push, but the Lady Lions never surrendered the lead. A Lady Raider error finished off a 25-21 Loogootee victory, evening the match at one set apiece. The Lady Lions played their best volleyball of the night in the third set. Loogootee raced out to an 11-3 advantage, with Green delivering three kills, Gilbert adding a dink and senior libero Jocelynn Sims recording an ace. Green later added an ace of her own to make it 15-5. Southridge briefly cut the margin to 15-8, but Loogootee answered by scoring eight of the next 10 points. Brown, Wilson and Green all contributed kills during the run as the Lady Lions blew the set open to 23-10. A Southridge error eventually closed out a commanding 25-13 victory, giving Loogootee a 2-1 lead in the match. Southridge Forces a Fifth With a chance to close out the match, Loogootee carried its momentum into the fourth set and grabbed an early 2-0 advantage. Southridge answered with five consecutive points and eventually built a 9-5 lead. Green stopped the momentum with a soft kill, and that point sparked a six-point Loogootee run. Hawkins and Brown added kills and Green delivered an ace during the stretch as the Lady Lions turned a four-point deficit into an 11-9 advantage. Loogootee continued to hold off Southridge until the Lady Raiders finally regained the lead at 15-14. Diamond answered immediately with a big swing to tie it. From there, neither team could create separation. The score was tied at every point from 17 through 24, with both teams having opportunities to take control. In the end, a Southridge ace followed by a Lady Raider kill gave Southridge a 26-24 victory, sending the match to a decisive fifth set. The Lady Lions knew the fifth would be a race to 15 and came out aggressively. A Southridge error and a Diamond kill gave Loogootee an immediate 2-0 advantage. The lead grew to 4-1 before Southridge began working its way back. Consecutive kills from Green and Davis later put Loogootee ahead 7-4, but the Lady Lions' momentum stalled. Southridge took advantage and went on a run to turn the three-point deficit into a 10-7 lead. Loogootee had another answer. Green delivered a huge ace, and Wilson put away a Southridge overpass to help the Lady Lions pull even at 10-10. Diamond later tied it again at 12 with a kill. A big swing from Hawkins eventually gave Loogootee a 14-13 lead and match point. A missed serve tied it at 14, but Diamond responded with a kill to give the Lady Lions another opportunity to finish the match at 15-14. Southridge denied both chances. The Lady Raiders responded with two kills, and a Loogootee defensive error on the final point ended the nearly five-set marathon, 17-15. Diamond Leads Lady Lion Attack Diamond finished the night with a team-high 17 kills, followed by Green with 10 and Hawkins with six. Gilbert recorded 24 assists, while Hawkins added 17. Junior Lauren Nolan led Loogootee with 17 service points, followed by Green with 12 and Wilson with nine. Green recorded a team-high five aces. Defensively, Sims led the Lady Lions with 24 digs. Gilbert finished with 18, while Nolan added 13. Despite holding a 2-1 match lead and twice reaching match point in the fifth set, the Lady Lions came up just short in a match that featured several major momentum swings. Loogootee leaves Southridge at 12-6 on the season. JV Goes the Distance The JV match also required three sets, with Southridge defeating Loogootee 12-25, 31-29, 15-11 from the Southridge perspective. The Lady Lions dominated the opener 25-12 and had an opportunity to finish the match in an extended second set before Southridge prevailed 31-29 and carried that momentum into a 15-11 third-set victory. Abbi Rollins led Loogootee with 10 service points, followed by Fara Fisher with nine. Brylee Bateman recorded six aces. Addison Moore led the defense with 16 digs, while Kensleigh Carrico added 15. Carrico and Moore each finished with eight kills, and Carrico also handed out a team-high 10 assists.