Van Buren Continues March to Repeat 3A Volleyball Championship
By Terry Futrell
The Van Buren County Lady Eaglettes, undefeated in District 3A volleyball play, continued their march to back-to-back District 3A championships by defeating the Clarkrange Lady Buffaloes 3-0 in semifinal action at Coalfield Tuesday evening.
Van Buren jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first set, only to see the Lady Buffaloes fight back to tie the score at 14-14. Leading 15-14, Lady Eaglette Greta Rigsby served six consecutive points, including one ace, to give Van Buren a 21-14 lead. Clarkrange could not close the gap and Van Buren won the set 25-20.
The Lady Eaglettes stepped up their game in the second and third sets as they performed at the level that allowed them to twice defeat each District 3A competitor during the regular season. The Lady Eaglettes took an early 5-1 lead and never let up the pressure, serving six aces and making no service faults as they cruised to a 25-16 win. Trailing 24-12, the Lady Buffaloes made a last ditch effort with Mattie Bush serving. Bush served two aces as Clarkrange closed the gap to 24-16 before Van Buren could get the deciding point, winning 25-16.
The third set was all Van Buren as they built a 24-9 lead over the Lady Buffaloes. Along the way, Eaglette Kaytlin Crain served six consecutive points, including four aces in a row. In total, the Eaglettes served seven aces in the set. Lady Buffalo Kacey Sells closed out the set by serving five points before Van Buren could get their 25th and deciding point to win the set 25-14.
With the victory, Van Buren moves into the District 3A tournament finals to face No. 2 Coalfield at 6:00 pm EDT Thursday on Coalfield’s home floor.
Click on any photo to view a larger version.
