Highlight Players in Paintsville rivalry win over Johnson Central

If there was any unusual hype for this first of two rivalry games between the Paintsville Tigers and Johnson Central Eagles, it simmered down quickly.   It did have the usual good crowd. However, Paintsville (13-1) is on a different level than Johnson Central (7-9). The Tigers had better ball control in the 3-0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-10) victory. Paintsville's dynamic senior outside hitter duo of [player_tooltip player_id='253875' first='Kylie' last='Kinner'] and [player_tooltip player_id='603814' first='Chloe' last='Reed'] not only led the team in kills with hitting percentages of .449 and .288 respectively, but also digs entering the week. Those two plus [player_tooltip player_id='925231' first='Bentley' last='Smith'], [player_tooltip player_id='785507' first='Kate' last='Lauffer'], [player_tooltip player_id='898049' first='Kendall' last='Short'], [player_tooltip player_id='816699' first='Mallory' last='May'], [player_tooltip player_id='742476' first='Annabelle' last='Blankenship'] and [player_tooltip player_id='890171' first='Addison' last='Helton'] all had at least 15 digs entering the game Tuesday. Once in system, Short did a great job setting up Kinner, Reed and even May for big swings.   "We're really working on our out of systems too, so the out of systems are getting better," Paintsville head coach Dawn Kinner said. "We're trying to get some pipes and some bics from the back row if we do have a bad pass. I'm really proud of the ball control. The passing really has improved so we're able to run more options."   Johnson Central did make things interesting in the second set. The Eagles have height on the front line with 6-1 junior middle [player_tooltip player_id='762073' first='Macie' last='Clark']. They were able to get her and [player_tooltip player_id='837159' first='Reese' last='Day'] some nice swings, but not as consistently as they wanted. Johnson Central will continue to improve though with first-year head coach Drew Lafferty.   Both teams return to action Thursday. Paintsville hosts Pike County Central at 7:30 p.m. and Johnson Central takes on Russell in the 2A, Section 8 championship game at 6:30 p.m.    Short does a good job squaring her arms up to balls to make precise two to three-point passes. She has a motor on the court, determined to not let balls fall. Short sets up well behind her blockers and does a good job reading hitters. Short said serve receive is usually one of the hardest things not only skill-wise, but also mentally. Short said if players focus on mistakes, they're going to happen again, thus she tries to put mistakes behind her quickly.     Kinner consistently goes up strong and brings down the hammer using a high attack point. Kinner's line shots and crosses are tough to dig up even if opponents are in the right positions defensively. Kinner uses her off (left) hand to tip to shallow parts of the court and does a good job tooling blocks. Kinner makes great in-air adjustments and paints side lines. Described by teammates and close ones as hard working, humble and a great leader, Kinner pounds down overpassed balls with authority. Kinner also sends across hard jump serves. Kinner said playing against assistant coach Megan Taylor, a former Paintsville and Marshall University player, helps them tremendously on the court.     Reed may have played against her former teammates for the first time, but she did not let the moment get to her. Reed conversed with some of them before the game, but once on the court, Reed was all business, trying to propel the Tigers to victory. She also uses her high attack point to take big swings, but her defense is also incredible. Reed makes the simple passes in the back row and displayed great range tracking down balls hit to deep corners. Reed sends free balls over with a purpose. Reed said things have come together as the result of each player supporting one another.     Helton recently returned from injury and has made a good impact like she has in the past. Helton has put the work into hitting various attack points and it showed in the win. Helton executes a variety of sets. On defense, Helton takes minimal steps to balls. She forms huge double blocks. Helton at least gets hands on balls at the net to slow things down for the back row. Helton credited the passer for doing a good job getting balls to her so she can set up the talented Paintsville hitters.     Clark gives the Eagles sound net play. Clark takes tough cut shots around blocks and does a good job tooling blocks. Clark has developed a nice wrist snap and mixes in hard and soft shots. Clark works well with teammates to form double blocks. Opponents can't go soft on her or Clark will turn balls back quickly.     Day is a nice playmaker for the Eagles. She takes solid swings for Johnson Central. Day is not afraid to shove balls off blocks for big points and wins jousts at the net. Day also does a good job forming nice double blocks with teammates. Day also uses her athleticism to make good first touches.    Note from Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for two years and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. 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If there was any unusual hype for this first of two rivalry games between the Paintsville Tigers and Johnson Central Eagles, it simmered down quickly.