by Rusty Ellis
The Livingston Academy Lady Wildcats left Carthage with a close 2-1 win over Smith County on Monday evening, winning two straight sets after falling in the first.
The Lady Owls took an early 8-4 lead in the first set, but LA stormed back quickly with an 8-1 run to take a 12-9 lead, capped by a Lainey Dishman kill. After taking a 16-11, Livingston appeared to be in full control to take the opening frame, but Smith County rallied and finished the set on a 14-4 run of their own to win 25-20, as Julia Dickerson’s ace gave the Lady Owls a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was all Livingston, as a Kenley Webb ace capped off a 5-0 run to start the set. LA held off several Smith County comeback attempts, and began to stretch the lead thanks to back-to-back aces from Mallie Carwile. A Cora Copeland block ended the set with a 25-12 score in favor of the Lady Wildcats, as the match moved to the decisive third set.
There, the two teams traded blows back-and-forth, but it was Livingston who scored the game-winning points on back-to-back rallies with the game tied at 13, as the Lady Wildcats escaped with a narrow 2-1 victory.
For head coach Christie Jenkins, she says it wasn’t her team’s best showing, but at the end of the day, a win is a win.
“That’s what I told them after the match, and I’m proud of them for battling,” Jenkins said. “We never play well in this gym, no matter what team I’ve had. We changed our lineup, and Sydney (Moffitt) was hurt, so hopefully she’ll be back tomorrow.”
When Carwile took over late in the second, her back-to-back aces gave Livingston the boost they needed to tie the match, something that wasn’t missed by her head coach.
“Her serves were good during the second set, and it helped build us some momentum,” Jenkins said. “That’s all you need, one or two plays can change the whole feeling of a ballgame…her serving was that for us in the second set.”
The season has hit its third week, and while Jenkins says she may have been unsure about where she would have people playing during the preseason, she feels like she’s got a good grasp of where everyone fits for the Lady Wildcats.
“I tell the girls every year that I have an idea of where everyone is going to play, and this year, I had no idea,” Jenkins said. “We’ve tried things for a couple weeks, and I like what we’ve done, but we’ve run into a few issues. Now we’re changing it again, and I think it’s going to make us better.”
Livingston will get back into district play on Tuesday night when they take on Stone Memorial in Crossville, while Smith County will host a district foe of their own in East Robertson.
