Lady Marshals fall to McCracken County in 1st Region Volleyball Championship

The 1st Region runner-up Lady Marshals, back in the regional championship game for the first time since 2009.
The 1st Region runner-up Lady Marshals, back in the regional championship game for the first time since 2009.

CLINTON – Marshall County and McCracken County met for the 1st Region volleyball title Thursday at Hickman County High School, a familiar spot to be in for the Lady Mustangs but not since the 2009 season have the Lady Marshals played in the championship game.

McCracken County rose to the occasion again winning the 1st Region Championship for the third straight year 3-0 over the Lady Marshals, earning a trip back to the KHSAA State Tournament where they will play their first round game against #1 ranked Assumption on November 6th.

“We had nothing to lose”, Head Coach Dan Langhi said. “No one expected us to win. They’re good and they don’t make mistakes. We had a good year and this is something this particular group said a few years ago that they wanted to make it to the regional championship against McCracken. There’s a lot to be said for that and that’s a success considering where we’ve come from the last few years.”

Marshall County got on the board in the first set to lead the Lady Mustangs 2-0 and the game would stay close early until McCracken County began to pull away with a 10-6 lead, going on to win 25-12.

Again in set two, Marshall County went up 2-0 before McCracken County scored five unanswered to lead 5-2. The Lady Marshals cut the lead tying the game up at 5-5 then taking a lead on a point at the net by Hannah Langhi. The Lady Mustangs again stretched the lead out to 10-7 but the Lady Marshals would tie the game four more times with the final tie coming at 14-14 with McCracken County going on to out-score them 11-1 for a 25-15 win.

The third set went much like the first two, a close game until the mid-way point with McCracken County once again pulling away to win 25-12, getting the match winner on a kill by Cate Hyde who along with teammates Halee Rhinehart and Courtney Griffith were major forces to contend with.

Paige Henson sets the ball for the Lady Marshal hitters.
Paige Henson sets the ball for the Lady Marshal hitters.

The Lady Marshals end their 2015 season with a 20-16 record as five seniors played their final game including Lanna Bibb, Sarah Hilbrecht, Sydney Nelson, Olivia Parker and Laken Scott.

Paige Henson, Hannah Langhi and Sydney Nelson were selected to the 1st Region All-Tournament team.

All-Tournament Team
Tessa Blankenship, Ballard Memorial
Addie Bowman, Hickman County
Shelby Smith, Graves County
Kaitlin Smith, Carlisle County
Lexi Mayes, Tilghman
Maddie Ybarzabal, Tilghman
Emily Nelson, Christian Fellowship
Abigail Cima, Christian Fellowship
Paige Henson, Marshall County
Hannah Langhi, Marshall County
Sydney Nelson, Marshall County
Cate Hyde, McCracken County
Courtney Griffith, McCracken County
Madeline Wooten, McCracken County
Haylee Rhinehart, McCracken County