Ison-Led Lady Owls Sweep Lenoir's Lady Hurricanes, 3-0

Ooltewah’s Courtlyn Ison and East Hamilton’s Emma Lenoir labeled themselves as the two best volleyball players in District 5-AAA with strong on-court performances last season.

The league coaches agreed.

Ison and Lenoir were selected the district’s co-players of the year and the two close friends and fierce rivals, have carried their neighborly competitiveness into the 2014 season.

On Thursday, Ison led the Lady Owls (15-2, 7-0) past host East Hamilton 3-0 – the third set was a marvelous display of intense volleyball from both teams – and ran their district winning streak to 19 consecutive matches.

Ooltewah beat the Lady Hurricanes, 3-0, on Aug. 21.

The set scores were 25-17, 25-13, 26-24.

As usual, Ison, a senior who will play collegiately at Belmont University in Nashville, was Ooltewah’s sparkplug with 13 kills and 11 digs.

 “We play together in club ball with K- 2 (Knoxville), we’re good friends off the court and our schools are big rivals,” Ison said. “So, it’s a pretty interesting game when we go against each other.

“We’re both excellent players. She’s their best player and I’m the captain of my team. So when we play each other I need to play my best and she’s going to play her best against me.”

Lenoir, a junior who has gotten a scholarship offer from Carson-Newman with more expected she graduates in 2016, finished with 10 kills, 16 digs, seven assists, two aces and one block as the Lady Hurricanes fell to 8-11 overall and 2-5 in the district.

“When we play each we’re really competitive,” Lenoir said. “It’s not mean or anything, it’s just fun to play each other.”

Said East Hamilton coach Kristy Lenoir: “Emma and Courtlyn are good friends and love each other, but they’d love nothing more than to slam a ball off someone’s face or block them. That’s the way you play. It’s fun to watch them go at each other.”

Ison, the district and regional MVP who led the Lady Owls to a 44-12 record and berth in the Class AAA state tournament, started the third set with one of her patented power kills.

The Lady Hurricanes then gave Ooltewah three straight points with two out-of-play kills and a shot into the net for a 4-0 lead. Meredith Stott’s soft touch-shot pulled the Lady Hurricanes to within 10-9 and Lenoir followed with a kill to tie the score at 10-all.

When Josie Cain, who had 13 digs and two aces, sailed a shot long, East Hamilton had its first lead at 11-10.

With the Lady Owls leading 18-14, the two teams gave the good crowd a terrific back-and-forth volley before Sidney Killingsworth capped it with a point-winning kill. Killingsworth recorded another smash winner.

Back-to-back kills by Alex Biro gave the Lady Owls a 20-18 advantage, but Somer Patten’s service point and Lenoir’s two-handed push knotted the match at 20-all. Patten went long on the next serve and the Lady Owls were up 21-20.

Ooltewah’s Kailin Higgins, who had 14 assists, served long and the match was tied again.

Biro netted a kill shot and East Hamilton went up 22-21.

“Both teams played really well, especially in the third set,” Ooltewah coach Elaine Peigen said. “I think we made some unforced errors that we should not have made, and that’s taking nothing away from East Hamilton because they’re a great team. But that’s where we’re really weak right now.”

The Lady Hurricanes’ Tori Harris returned the favor with a serve out of play. Set tied 22-22.

Summer Williams scored on a service point. The Lady Owls led 23-22.

Stott’s kill tied it at 23. She followed with a service point, giving the Lady Hurricanes a one-point lead.

Ooltewah’s Hanna Matthews, credited with 23 assists, eight digs and two aces, blocked a kill by Stott to deadlock the heated action at 24-all.

East Hamilton’s Samantha Headrick served long. Ooltewah up 25-24.

Lenoir’s kill sailed out past the sideline and the Lady Owls nailed down the match by two points.

“We started off pretty strong and they realized they could gain momentum and we kind of game them some that they needed to catch up and take the lead,” Ison said. “But I’m proud of us for finishing strong.”

East Hamilton coach Kristy Lenoir wanted a win, obviously, but saw some positive aspects to the loss.

“I thought we played hard and with a lot of emotion and I was happy to see that because it’s the key to a lot of things,” Lady Hurricanes coach Kristy Lenoir said. “We’ve been playing with a lack of emotion in a lot of matches.

“I thought we took a step in the right direction.”

Ooltewah’s Alexis Godsey notched two straight service points for a 10-5 lead in the first set. Ison’s kill produced an 18-9 advantage and Headrick’s netter pushed the lead to 19-9.

The Lady Hurricanes trailed 20-12 when Somer Batten unleashed a kill and Lenoir won a service point before sending a serve long and the Lady Owls led 21-14.

Ooltewah’s lead was 22-17 after East Hamilton’s Batten won a service point.

But the Lady Owls’ Biro scored on a kill, Lenoir netted a tap and Emily Grace Thompson’s shot hit off the hands of an East Hamilton player to win the set.

“This rivalry is a good one between two great schools and in any sport,” Peigen said. “I think our girls get fired up for this match and East Hamilton does as well. It’s always a good match with good competition and fun to play them.”

In Set 2, the Lady Owls raced to an 8-2, 11-4 and 14-7 leads on East Hamilton miscues – Batten’s netter, a misfire that sailed out of bounds and Lenoir’s overhead shot that drew the net.

From 19-11 Ooltewah pushed the margin to 24-11 on Maddie Milliken’s shot that wasn’t returned, an Ison kill, two shots by East Hamilton’s Headrick and Lenoir and Williams’ service point.

Ooltewah misplays gave East Hamilton two straight points, but the Lady Owls won it when Headrick’s serve sailed just long.

STATISTICS

Ooltewah

Summer Williams – 9 digs, 2 aces

Courtlyn Ison – 13 kills, 11 digs

Hanna Matthews – 8 digs, 23 assists, 2 aces, 1 block

Alex Biro – 6 kills, 1 dig, 1 block

Josie Cain – 13 digs, 2 aces

Allie Jones – 1 kill, 1 dig

Kailin Higgins – 1 kill, 14 digs, 1 assist

Maddie Milliken – 1 kill, 1 dig

Emily Grace Thompson – 2 kills, 1 dig

Alexis Godsey – 5 aces, 1 dig

Sidney Killingsworth – 4 kills, 2 digs, 1 block

East Hamilton

Tori Harris – 7 digs, 12 assists, .5 blocks

Meredith Stott – 5 kills, 1 dig, 1 assist, 1.5 blocks

Samantha Headrick – 1 kill, 4 digs

Emma Lenoir – 10 kills, 16 digs, 7 assists, 2 aces, 1 block

Somer Batten – 5 kills, 7 digs, 1 assist, 1 block

Jillian Myers – 1 dig

Abigail Combs – 1 assist, 1 ace  

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)