With the regular season coming to a close, there is a ton of excitement around the Henderson County Lady Colonels’ Volleyball team as they prepare to enter the Second Region tournament, where they are favored to take home the championship.
In an incredible bounce back season, where team bonding and chemistry have been the keys, the Lady Cols are ready to build on their momentum and are motivated to take home the title and return to the state tournament for the first time since 2021.
“This group of seniors has been some of the first seniors that have not made it to the state tournament in Henderson County history and they don’t want to leave their legacy as not having done that,” said head coach Kelli Harris.
Last year, in the first season for Harris as coach, the Lady Cols finished 15-17, losing in the district championship for the first time in 14 years. This year things went much more positively, as HCHS fought its way to a 25-9 record, including going a perfect 16-0 against region opponents. Most of their nine losses came to top teams from around the state.
The Lady Cols were also able to gain redemption by beating Webster County, 3-0, to win the Sixth District Championship. In the match, Evangeline Loffland had an amazing all-around performance collecting 11 kills, 12 digs, and three aces. Kylee Lyons added another 11 kills, while Emmy Sword contributed six kills, nine digs, and one ace. Setters Kamryn Raley and Addi Kirtley had a matching performance with 14 assists each. Defensive stalwart Ella Whitledge came away with an impressive 24 digs.
Loffland, Lyons, Sword and Whitledge were named to the All-District Team for their athletic achievements this season.
HCHS will now move onto a daunting Second Region tournament where the target will be squarely on its back. There are several teams eyeing a chance to take down the Lady Cols and prevent them from claiming the regional championship.
The first of those teams is Madisonville-North Hopkins, who will be Henderson’s first round opponent. The Lady Maroons are 16-19 overall heading into the tournament and were the runners-up in the Seventh District championship. The two teams have faced each other twice already, with HCHS winning both matches (3-1, 3-0).
Madisonville is led by the formidable senior hitter Leah Moody who has a team-high 209 kills and is second on the team with 226 digs and 61 aces.
“We got a fairly difficult path. I know it sounds crazy when you’re 16-0 in the region, but Madisonville-North Hopkins is very scrappy,” said Harris. “Our second-round matchup will more than likely be Christian County. I really think they are the team to watch because they have multiple hitting pieces and they’re pretty solid defensively as well.”
Christian County finished their season 19-16 overall, with a 13-3 record in region play. They will come into the tournament as the Eighth District Champion after defeating Heritage Christian last week. The Lady Colonels of Christian County gave Henderson one of its toughest battles in region play when on September 30 they rallied from a 0-2 deficit to force a match-deciding fifth set, which HCHS was ultimately able to win on its Senior Night.
Henderson County sits atop the region standings undefeated for a reason though. Along with their amazing team chemistry, they also boast a plethora of talent. Loffland leads the team with 305 kills, while Whitledge leads the defense with 716 digs. Whitledge ranks fourth in the state averaging 6.88 digs per set. Other team leaders include Caeson Hargitt with 57 blocks, Kamryn Raley with 485 assists, and Sword with 109 aces. Sword ranks in the top 50 in the state with both 1.05 aces per set and 4.77 digs per set. As a team, the Lady Cols own a strong defense and are fourth in the state with 22.2 digs per set.
“The girls have such a desire to win and to do things correctly. They’ve been very coachable and adaptable to the things that I’ve been trying to implement,” said Harris of some keys to her team’s success.
Harris also mentioned that her team is feeling plenty confident, but they are tempering their expectations because they understand what winning a regional championship will mean to the program and to the community. Harris called it a potential “program builder” and is leading by example.
“I truly believe we have the talent to do this. I’m not a person that becomes overconfident because I’ve learned in my life that being overconfident can sometimes allow things to pass you by,” shared Harris. “I know that it could mean so much to me, but it couldn’t be done without the girls.”
The Lady Cols start their quest for a regional title at 7 p.m. tonight at Hopkins County Central High School. The championship match will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday.
