The Sioux County Warriors prevailed Monday over Cody-Kilgore in a nearly two-hour, four-set slugfest to advance to the D2-12 Sub-district title game.
The teams were 1-1 after the two opening sets, both of which went beyond regulation as they battled it out point-for-point in the 32-30, 25-27, 25-16, 25-15 match. There were six lead changes and 11 ties in the first set as Cody-Kilgore opened with the early lead before Sioux County inched ahead 8-4. Cody-Kilgore worked their way back into the game to tie it at 15. From there, they traded the lead with neither finding more than two points of separation until the Cowgirls went ahead 24-21 on a block. Three errors let Sioux County back in to tie it at 24, and the score was tied at every set point through 30. The Warriors finally clinched the marathon set on a Tamika Eastman kill, immediately followed by a block by Tamika and Sierra Eastman.
Sioux County used the momentum to race out to an 8-0 lead in the second in a run that included three kills by Tamika Eastman and two ace serves by Britney Klein. The Warriors held on to a comfortable lead until the Cowgirls closed to within three at 12-9, a margin they maintained until they tied it at 18. Sioux County inched ahead on Cowgirl errors but the fortunes reversed, and C-K came back to take a 23-22 lead. Once again the late action saw the teams tied at set point 24 and 25 with errors on both sides of the net. Cody-Kilgore won set two on an ace serve by Fayth From.
While the score was tied four times in the third set before point seven, Sioux County controlled the tempo and led outright after taking a 10-7 lead after three consecutive points on kills by Sierra Eastman, Becca Reece and an ace by Ashley Hunter. Sierra Eastman landed three more kills late in the set, Hunter dropped in another ace and a block by Tamika Eastman closed it out.
The Warriors opened the final set with back-to-back kills by Tamika Eastman and Kaylee Juhnke, but the Cowgirls came back to tie the set at four, eight, nine, 10 and 11. Sioux County eventually shook them off to go up 17-11 in a series that included two Sierra Eastman kills and an ace by Ella Hyer. Three consecutive kills by Tamika Eastman made it 23-15, and Juhnke scored the final kill to win the match for the Warriors.
Sioux County will face Hay Springs Tuesday night for the chance to compete in the District Finals.