The UHA Lady Blazers are headed back to the 2nd Region volleyball championship game for the second year in a row. The Lady Blazers moved on with a straight set win Wednesday night over the Crittenden County Lady Rockets, who had picked up the first regional win in program history the night before.
The Lady Blazers had a little trouble finding their stride in the opening set. The set was tied at 5, 6, 7, and 10 early on. With Crittenden County up 11-10, the Lady Blazers made their move to take control of the set. UHA went on a 7-1 run to take a 17-12 lead. Still, the Lady Rockets would not go down without a fight. Crittenden County quickly cut the lead down to 17-15. UHA would go on to take the set 25-16 to go up 1-0 in the match.
Crittenden County showed they would not go as quietly to the Lady Blazers earlier in the season in the 2nd set. The Lady Rockets blasted off to an 11-3 lead to open the set. However, the Lady Blazers then showed why they have been considered a regional contender all season long. With big efforts from Clarissa Miller, Meghan Adams, and Beth Peebles, UHA finished the set on a 22-5 run to take the set 25-16 and go up 2-0 in the match. The Lady Blazers scored 12 of the set’s final 13 points.
Early on in the 3rd set it looked like UHA would close things out quickly. The Lady Blazers rolled out to an 8-3 lead and looked to be cruising. The Lady Rockets proved to still have a little fuel in the boosters as they closed to within one at 9-8. UHA responded with a 6-0 run, five of those with Clarissa Miller at the serve, to go up 15-8, and from that point on the Lady Blazers were never seriously threatened as they closed out the set and the sweep with a 25-13 win.
The win was the second regional tournament win this season for the Lady Blazers over the Lady Rockets. Earlier, UHA defeated Crittenden County 25-9, 25-9 in the semifinals of the 2nd Region All A Classic.
UHA picks up a program best 30th win on the season to go to 30-5. The Lady Blazers are making their first title game appearance since 2014, when they lost in straight sets to Christian County. The title game will be a rematch of 2018, when Henderson County upended the Lady Blazers in straight sets.
