ELIZABETHTOWN – Kimberly Dowless and Lily Hester combined for 30 service points Tuesday night as Bladenboro rallied to win the Bladen County Middle School Volleyball Tournament Championship with a 2-1 victory over Clarkton School of Discovery by set scores of 23-25, 25-17 and 15-9.
A pair of service points from Melissa Sandoval-Garcia staked Clarkton to an early 3-2 lead in the deciding set, but Hester answered with 2 service points that vaulted the Lady Bulldogs in front 5-3. Nadya Colon pulled the Lady Blue Devils even at 5-5.
Karlee Gause knocked in a trio of service points, and Dowless tipped in a winner as Bladenboro took a 10-6 lead. Nevaeh Brown’s service point brought CSD to within 10-8, but Halle Nobles dropped in a pair of service points for a 13-8 Lady Bulldog lead. Amiyan Maxfield McCarty’s serve captured match point for Bladenboro.
Kynslie Kinlaw started the match with a trio of service points for Clarkton, but Dowless responded with a run of 6 consecutive service points for a 7-4 Lady Bulldog lead. Sandoval-Garcia trimmed the margin to 7-6 with a pair of service points. Hester and Colon swapped 2 service points each as Bladenboro held on to a 10-9 lead.
Diyozi McKoy reeled off a trio of service points to grow the Lady Bulldog edge to 14-9, but Haley Taylor rang up 5 straight service points to put CSD on top 15-14. A pair of Brown service points padded the lead to 18-16, but Nobles answered with 2 service points for a 19-18 Bladenboro lead.
Clarkton’s Tyliyah Freeman and McCarty traded service points for a 22-22 tie. Sandoval-Garcia’s service point was followed by Gause’s winning return to knot the score again 23-23. The Lady Blue Devils won a side-out, and Colon served a winner on set point.
Dowless smoked in 8 straight service points to begin the 2nd set, and Hester smacked in a string of 7 consecutive service points for a 16-2 Lady Bulldog lead.
Clarkton rallied with 2 service points each from Ellie Kinlaw and Taylor, and 1 more from Colon whittled the margin to 19-12. Dowless tipped in a winner then spiked in another for a 21-14 lead.
Two service points from Kynslie Kinlaw closed the gap to 21-17, but Hester served out the set with a trio of service points.
Dowless poured in 16 service points, 4 tipped winners and another kill to lead Bladenboro, and Hester was right behind her with 14 service points. Gause and Nobles followed with 4 service points each. McKoy had 3 service points, and McCarty finished with 2 service points.
Taylor led Clarkton with 7 service points, and Kynslie Kinlaw followed with 6 service points. Colon and Sandoval-Garcia tallied 5 service points each, and Sandoval-Garcia cracked a pair of return winners. Brown and Ellie Kinlaw collected 3 service points each. Montierra Richardson had 1 service point.
Coach Elizabeth Priest’s Lady Blue Devils (pictured above) ran their winning streak to 8 in a row with their earlier victory over Elizabethtown and finished their season with a 9-5 record. Clarkton team members are: Kynzlee Wood, Nevaeh Brown, Ellie Kinlaw, Aubri Benton, Haley Taylor, Hayleigh Simmons, Nadia Colon, Corey Joyner, Jamiya Peterson, Melissa Sandoval-Garcia, Jamierra Bryant, Montiera Richardson, Kynslie Kinlaw, Georgia Lewis, Alivia Benton, and TyLiah Freeman.
Coach Jessica Rhodes’ Lady Bulldogs (pictured at top) finished their season with a 7-5 record. Team members are: Kimberly Dowless, Karlee Gause, Lily Hester, Honesti Jackson, Emma King, Diyozi McKoy, Maleigh Chatman, Brooklyn McKee, Allison Hickman, Jordan Powers, Amiyan Maxfield McCarty, Halle Nobles, Venus Cortes, Chloe Walters, Hadley Dove, Maycee Kinlaw, Kristen Singletary and Alondra Gutierrez.
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