Ridgeland stands toe-to-toe with state-ranked LaFayette
Two longtime Walker County rivals clashed on the court last Tuesday night and the battle would go to three sets before the Ridgeland Lady Panthers finally fell to LaFayette, 2025, 25-23 and 15-10.
It was Ridgeland who brought the energy early. The Lady Panthers took the lead in the first set and held it wire-to-wire, thwarting a couple of attempted rallies by LaFayette to get back into game. But after seeing what type of intensity that Ridgeland was bringing, LaFayette stepped up late in the second set to tie up the match and force the deciding race to 15.
With players on both teams hammering shots and diving all over the floor, the Lady Ramblers finally looked to have the upper hand at 125. Ridgeland would refuse to yield and fought their way back into striking distance. However, they would not get any closer than three points the rest of the way as LaFayette finally sealed the victory.
Justice Devlin had 13 kills, two aces and two blocks for Ridgeland against LaFayette. Jayda Jenkins finished with four kills and seven digs. Natalee McClain had three kills. Sarah Williams served up five aces. Brylee Durham had six digs and Kailey Boulware had two aces to go with 23 assists.
The match was the second three-setter of the evening for the home team, who also needed a tiebreaker to defeat Silverdale Baptist Academy, 17-25, 25-23 and 15-11.
Devlin also led the offense with 14 kills and a block versus Silverdale. Jenkins had five kills, three digs and two aces. Landree Dunn added five kills and Boulware had 19 assists.
“We knew that tonight was going to be a true test,” Ridgeland head coach April Lemonds stated. “Not to take anything away from any of the teams we’ve played so far,