‘It’s a big deal for us.’ Stunning sweep decides spot in 11th Region finals.
The postseason is a time for new beginnings, and that was evident Wednesday at Scott County High School.
Paul Laurence Dunbar swept Henry Clay in straight sets — 25-22, 25-17 and 25-20 — to win the 11th Region Tournament semifinal between the two and secure its second straight berth to the 11th Region championship game.
Henry Clay, ranked sixth in the state and tops among public schools, won at Dunbar, 3-1, in the regular season, but Dunbar turned the tables with elimination on the line. The No. 13 Bulldogs broke a 19-19 tie with a 5-0 run to take control late in the first set. Sets two and three started evenly but Dunbar eventually built sizable leads midway in each.
“I think it comes down to serving and passing,” Dunbar Coach Jenni Morgan said. “We really controlled the ball serving, which took them out offensively. When we played them in the regular season, they were on. It went in our favor serving aggressively at ’em.
Morgan believed Henry Clay kept her outside hitters at bay in this season’s first meeting.
“They executed what we practiced the last couple of days and I’m really proud of what they did,” Morgan said. “When you’re dealing with high school girls, too much sometimes isn’t always good, so we kept it simple and just had them focus on what we can control and that’s our fight at the net.”
Kaetlin Ethington, a sophomore who nailed the final kill in the opening game, recognized the significance of Dunbar’s turnabout from the regular season.
“It’s a big deal for us, ‘cause no one thought we could do it,” Ethington said. “It’s really nice coming out thinking that nobody else thinks we can win but we come out and show that we can do it.”
Peyton Gash, a senior, was at the center of a Dunbar dogpile following the completion of the match. The celebration might be seen as overzealous for a semifinals victory but recent history suggests it was fitting — either Dunbar or Henry Clay has won the 11th Region each season since 2007. The Bulldogs defeated the Blue Devils, 3-2, in last year’s title round.
“We probably looked stupid,” Ethington said with a laugh. “ … Just getting this far feels so great.”
The Bulldogs in the finals will meet either Tates Creek — against whom it overcame a 2-1 match deficit to win the 43rd District title last week — or Madison Central on Wednesday.
This story was originally published October 17, 2018 at 8:38 PM.