Lady Jumpers take down McCreary in opening round of region

DANVILLE — The Somerset Lady Jumpers took down the McCreary Central Lady Raiders in a clean 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-17, 25-18) in the opening round of the 12th Region Tournament on Monday, advancing to the semifinals for the first time since 2021 in the process.The two teams traded points early and often in the first set until the Raiders built a 9-7 lead. That lead didn’t last for very long however, as the Jumpers went on a 14-5 extended run thanks in no small part to some excellent serving by Reagan Childers and some quality hits around the net by Sara Tucker. The Raiders were forced to call multiple timeouts near the end of the set, with an attacking error handing Somerset a 25-19 set win.The Jumpers seemingly ran away with the second set as soon as it began as they went ahead 9-4. That lead just kept growing midway through as well, as Somerset had stretched their lead to 16-8 following a kill from Blair Pyles. Try as they may, McCreary Central never truly threatened the Jumpers in the set as Somerset eventually took control of the game with a 25-17 set win, putting them one set away from a semifinal spot.Stellar hitting once again propelled the Jumpers to a lead as they raced ahead 5-0 in the third. Somerset built their lead to 15-9 midway through as the Raiders battled back, but the Jumpers seemed to be hitting a bit of cruise control. The game would go final after some more terrific volleys, with Olyvia Keck nailing the game-winning kill to hand the Jumpers the third set 25-18 and the overall 3-0 sweep. Head coach LaDawna Tucker was pleased of her team’s effort but noted there is still work to be done in the tournament.“I’m proud of the way our girls came out and competed tonight. At this point in the season, nothing is given to you. This team has put in the work and they believe and trust in each other. We are excited to advance to the semifinals, but we aren’t satisfied yet. We know there is still work to be done,” she explained.Somerset improves to 29-9 with the win and will advance to Wednesday’s semifinals, where they will take on defending region champion West Jessamine. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. start.