15th Region Quarterfinal Day 2 Sound Performers

A number of talented players took the court at Paintsville on Tuesday in the second day of the 15th Region Quarterfinals, hoping to join Shelby Valley and Floyd Central in the region semifinals Wednesday. The Paintsville Tigers and Betsy Layne Cats emerged to square off at 8 p.m. back at Paintsville for the right to move on to Thursday's title game.   Game 1: Paintsville 3, Pikeville 0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-14)   The Tigers (27-10 overall) had their struggles early on with youth at some key positions, but they've come together to hold up the standards that have been established by previous teams. In particular, Paintsville head coach Dawn Kinner credited the two setters for adapting to run a 6-2 offense instead of the 5-1 the Tigers ran in previous years.   When the state's kills leader got her hands on the ball, good things happened for Paintsville. The Panthers (18-9) especially had problems handling her crosses. [player_tooltip player_id='898049' first='Kendall' last='Short'] and McKinley Ramey often started things with good passes to setters [player_tooltip player_id='882232' first='Ella' last='Wells'] and [player_tooltip player_id='890171' first='Addison' last='Helton'], who set up [player_tooltip player_id='253875' first='Kylie' last='Kinner'], [player_tooltip player_id='816699' first='Mallory' last='May'], [player_tooltip player_id='742476' first='Annabelle' last='Blankenship'] and [player_tooltip player_id='785507' first='Kate' last='Lauffer'] well.   Pikeville still put together a nice season. The Panthers struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in the first set, but the likes of libero [player_tooltip player_id='796880' first='Maria' last='Perez'] and Charlize Compton did better with first touches on the second set so setter [player_tooltip player_id='740330' first='Lindy' last='Gearheart'] could set up powerful nice hitters such as [player_tooltip player_id='276178' first='Carly' last='May'], [player_tooltip player_id='741704' first='Sophie' last='Woods'], Catharine Walters, [player_tooltip player_id='843289' first='Korbyn' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='484266' first='Kyla' last='Lee'].   Game 2: Betsy Layne 3, Belfry 1 (24-26, 25-20, 25-22, 25-14)   Betsy Layne actually led Belfry (13-13), 24-21 in the first set. However, the Pirates scored five in a row to pull out that set. However, the Cats made sure that did not happen in the next three sets. Junior libero [player_tooltip player_id='782439' first='Miley' last='Burchett'], Kylie Samons and Laiken Keathley made sure setter [player_tooltip player_id='781567' first='Jania' last='Isom'] could set up a balanced attack with [player_tooltip player_id='483608' first='Jayden' last='Jarrell'], [player_tooltip player_id='781442' first='Harlyn' last='Slone'], Aubrey Williams, Kaylee Persons and Kennedi Allen.   Belfry features dynamic freshman setter [player_tooltip player_id='875994' first='Abrielle' last='Swain'] and two reliable hitters in [player_tooltip player_id='612258' first='Baylor' last='Hall'] and Makaylin Meade. Senior libero [player_tooltip player_id='276171' first='Maddie' last='Bevins'] made a number of hustle plays. Randah Maynard gave the Pirates some balance.   Notable Performers    Helton (pictured) made a number of sound sets and passes throughout the game. Helton does a great job putting balls in her hitters' power zones. Helton has good footwork doing what she can to better balls and making sure hitters can take quality swings. Helton said in the 6-2 when one setter makes the first touch, the other one is there to set plays up thus helping each other out.     May makes things happen from both the pins and middle. She has a good vertical jump and puts good power into balls. May does not get frustrated when balls do not land. May just keeps swinging. May is also a sound passer and forms good blocks at the net. May said when she is in the front row with [player_tooltip player_id='742476' first='Annabelle' last='Blankenship'] and [player_tooltip player_id='253875' first='Kylie' last='Kinner'] is in the back row for example, that gives the setters options.     Short has snatched the libero spot and is learning to patrol the back row with authority. Short consistently makes sound passes under control. She squares her body up to balls using a good platform. Short also sends free balls across with a purpose. Short said her experience for four years at the libero spot helped her transition to the varsity level go smooth.     May is very active at the net both offensively and defensively. She takes hard swings in the middle for the Panthers and had some nice blocks on Kinner during the game.     Gearheart does a good job consistently making sound sets to the talented Pikeville hitters. Gearheart steadies her feet to line her body up with sets and does not lean where she's setting the ball. Gearheart also makes sound passes and sound serves for Pikeville.     Jarrell is a great leader on the court for the Cats. Jarrell can take over games when Betsy Layne needs a lift. She is especially tough on crosses on the go route. Jarrell throws defensive specialists off with her sound jump serve. Jarell had 23 kills, seven assists, eight digs and four aces in the Betsy Layne win. Jarrell said the team feeds off her energy so she said it's vital for her to always be there and give her teammates what they deserve. Jarrell added other players have stepped forward when she's not having a good game.     Slone is also a sound hitter from both the middle and the pins for the Cats. Slone takes good approaches to the net and places balls well. Slone makes sound passes then quickly transitions to offense. Slone also scores a number of points on service aces. Slone had nine kills, four aces and three digs in the win for the Cats. Slone said after losing the first set, the Cats needed to play their game no matter what team is on the other side of the net.     Burchett is reliable on first touches for the Cats. Burchett moves her feet then plants them beating balls to their spots and forms walls around balls trying to make controlled first touches. Burchett can make good out of system sets and keeps teams out of rhythm with well-placed serves. Burchett had 14 digs and six assists for Betsy Layne in the win. Burchett said going hard after balls is a mental thing, hustling hard each time.     Swain has stepped into the setter spot for the Pirates and taken the bull by the horns. Swain consistently makes spot-on sets so her hitters can take great swings at them. Swain also makes good passes and is turning into a sound server for Belfry. Belfry head coach Hannah Muncy said Swain has exceeded her expectations running the offense.     Hall defines versatility for the Pirates. Hall makes crisp passes and serves, then does what she can to help Belfry control the net. Hall takes well-placed swings and places overpassed balls to open spots on the court. A better wrist snap will help Hall become one of the more effective hitters in the 15th Region these next two years.    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A number of talented players took the court at Paintsville on Tuesday in the second day of the 15th Region Quarterfinals, hoping to join Shelby Valley and Floyd Central in the region semifinals Wednesday. The Paintsville Tigers and Betsy Layne Cats emerged to square off at 8 p.m. back at Paintsville for the right to move on to Thursday's title game.