The Oak Ridge Lady Wildcat Volleyball Team secured their fifth consecutive District 4-AAA tournament championship with wins over Campbell County and West Thursday night at the Wildcat Arena. The Lady Wildcats swept Campbell County 3-0 in the semifinals to set-up a Final against West - the only team in the District to take a Set from the Lady ‘Cats this season. The Lady Rebels quickly took two more from the Lady Wildcats, winning the first two sets 25-23; 25-23. “Oh, man what a night this was,” said Oak Ridge Head Coach Dave Kolodney. “I’m so proud of the guts these girls showed. To be down 2-0 and fight back to win 3 straight is just awesome.” Oak Ridge looked like they were marching towards an easy victory in the first set up 20-11, only to fall 23-25. “They never got down on themselves; they never stopped playing or fighting for the win,” continued Kolodney. “They always played like they were going to win and it paid off.” Senior Co-Captains Paige Halcrow and Ainsley Patrick led the way for the Lady ‘Cats. Halcrow took the reins for leading the entire offense as the lone setter for the first time this season to lead the comeback, and Patrick broke her own school record for Kills in a Match with 24. Patrick along with Senior Lynley Baldwin, were named to the All-Tournament Team. “I’m so happy and we’ll enjoy it tonight,” Kolodney finished. “But we’ll be back in the gym tomorrow to get ready for next week – Regionals has been a tough round for us, but we know we’ve got a good chance to make it through it.”
The Lady Wildcats will face the District 3-AAA runner-up which has yet to be determined. The Region tournament will be hosted by the District 3-AAA champion. Oak Ridge improves to 19-3 on the season and still maintains a perfect District record (14-0).
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