Halloween Smash Day Two Notable Performers

It's the beauty of in-season tournaments. A team could come into one with a losing record as was the case with the young Lafayette Generals, but come away with a winning record, especially after winning one.   The Generals (13-11 overall) came into their own Halloween Smash three games below .500, but won it with a perfect 5-0 run to make it two games above .500. Lafayette opened the day with a 2-0 (25-10, 25-16) victory over Nelson County then avenged a loss in last year's title game with a 2-0 (27-25, 26-24) victory over Highlands before concluding with a 2-0 (25-19, 27-26) win over three-time defending 13th Region champion Whitley County in the title game.   Lafayette has two powerful hitters in juniors [player_tooltip player_id='484422' first='Audrey' last='Gossett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='523334' first='Lexi' last='Hensley'] that dynamic senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='397717' first='Elise' last='Trimble'] sets when in system in addition to three talented young hitters in sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='711994' first='Carli' last='Dotson'], [player_tooltip player_id='741500' first='Lily' last='Grant'] and freshman Haylee Henderson. First touches have largely fallen on seniors Payton Watts, Ava Ruber and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='882359' first='Xiomara' last='Ramos'].   Whitley County countered with a sound all-around setter in [player_tooltip player_id='603768' first='Jonna' last='Rice']. The Colonels have a solid libero in junior [player_tooltip player_id='603765' first='Khylea' last='Ray Collier'] in addition to one of the top hitters in the state in junior outside [player_tooltip player_id='603744' first='Reagan' last='Isaac']. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='831031' first='Chandra' last='Price'], [player_tooltip player_id='762100' first='Abby' last='Lawson'], junior Jada Smith freshman Makenzie Mills and eighth grader [player_tooltip player_id='893446' first='Taryn' last='Bennett'] give the Colonels balance. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='793229' first='Courtney' last='Claxton'] and junior Jordan Smith have also shouldered the responsibilities of first touches.   Whitley County bested Morgan County, 2-0 (25-7, 25-14) then Boyd County to make it to the title game. Highlands won the third place game with Lexington Christian claiming the fifth place game. Lafayette entered two team in the tournament and the B team won the seventh place game.   Notable Perfomers    Gossett has such a great wrist snap she sends balls flying to the ground. Gossett can pound balls all over the court including crosses on go routes. Gossett takes swings from both the front and back rows, sometimes hitting off blockers for big points. Gossett also delivers hard line drive serves. Gossett said it's important to lean on teammates and play together even when players are not having their best games to pull through to win games.     Trimble has great trajectory on her sets. Trimble has displayed the ability to run a number of sets including jump sets in the middle to middle hitters. Trimble also does her part to record critical blocks at the net. She had a big one in the game against Whitley County on Saturday. Trimble said the mentality a setter needs is making balls better for teammates, including out of system balls.     Ramos (pictured) is one of two freshmen that's been asked to fill big roles for the Generals this year, and she's delivered. Ramos makes simple first touches. She is not afraid to lunge after balls when needed, but does stay under control. Ramos places her serves well and displays great enthusiasm after the Generals score points. Ramos said playing for the LUV 14 Elite team and facing Gossett and other hitters on the Lafayette team have helped her adjust to the type of hits she sees on the varsity level.     Isaac has made a smooth transition to Whitley County. Isaac has taken on a vocal leadership role and it's clear her teammates respect her. Isaac is not afraid to call for balls then pound them to different parts of the court, including crosses. Isaac has improved her accuracy from the back row. The six-rotation player has a good wrist snap and makes clean first passes. Isaac does not hesitate to dive after balls when necessary.     Collier does a lot of little things that add up to big things for the Colonels. Collier handles crosses with precision and makes simple passes. She provides good net coverage and sends free balls across the net with a purpose.     Muzumdar continues to improve her setting for the Bluebirds. Muzumdar makes crisp first touches and performs a variety of sets including back sets. Muzumdar made a sliding save in the game against Lafayette.     Jones makes good in-air adjustments on balls to take effective swings. Jones can pound balls to the back line and executes effective crosses. Jones dug up Isaac on consecutive swings in one rally. Jones said the Lions like to put the pedal to the metal on the court.     Gorshak brings a lot of enthusiasm to the court for the Eagles. She makes crisp first touches and makes things happen when the team is out of system. Gorshak can handle hard-hit crosses. Gorshak said good first touches help get Lexington Christian in system, noting the Eagles score a lot of points when in system.     Burton deserves a lot of credit for trying to do her part to help put the Cougars on a good path as a six-rotation player. Burton plays hard no matter what the scoreboard says. Burton digs balls off the net for big saves and takes crisp swings.    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for one year and a half and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky rankings, please email Mike at pnmikeg@yahoo.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount, enter code graham30 at checkout.

It's the beauty of in-season tournaments. A team could come into one with a losing record as was the case with the young Lafayette Generals, but come away with a winning record, especially after winning one.