Back in mid-June, when high school Fall Sports were allowed to begin practicing, Elizabethtown volleyball coach Bart Catlett viewed the landscape of Kentucky high school sports and wasn’t really optimistic about the odds of playing this season. With so much uncertainty after the spring sports had first been posponded, then finally cancelled along with the KHSAA Basketball State Tournaments after a lenghtly pause, he felt that things didn’t look good for the season to open on time and even less chance of finishing out come tournament time.
He also believed that he would have a great team coming back despite the loss of several important starters and loved the core returning along with a great group including All Area starters Elizabeth Godfrey and Mary Hargan.
He knew his Elizabethtown team would have to face a hungry Central Hardin team which they had beaten five straight times last year and would have to beat history as well. Since high school volleyball had started in the Region, only three teams had ever won the 5th Region Tournament and although the Lady Panthers were one of them, they had NEVER repeated as Region Champs.
Well, fortunately for him come tournament time, the Lady Panthers turned out to be the last team standing after the 5th Region Championship.
The Repeat was something that may have been unexpected, but the way it was accomplished was very typical of the way things were done this season as the Lady Panthers put together 16-wins playing one of the toughest grueling schedules along the way. Sacred Heart, Notre Dame twice and McCracken County along with Central Hardin three times fully prepared them to handle every and all challengers this year.
But that wasn’t to say it was always easy. Far from it.
After beating the District rival Lady Bruins in a wild five-game set back in mid September, the Lady Panthers ran into a buzz saw in their return match nearly two weeks later and were swept in the return match.
After going 7-1 the rest of the way, Elizabethtown dropped another set to Central Hardin in the 17th District Championship game 3-1 casting a little doubt.
Then came the 5th Region Tournament and after finishing off both Bethlehem and Taylor County 3-0 and 3-0, it set up another round with the Lady Bruins and a chance for history.
After winning a tough first game 25-22, Elizabethtown dropped the second game 25-20 evening the series, but Catlett’s girls played with plenty of energy and won the third game 25-17 going up 2-1, but the Lady Bruins came out and won going away 25-13 evening the series at 2-2 and once again it would come down to a deciding fifth game.
Even though Central Hardin had the advantage, Elizabethtown came out like they always have all season and built an early 3-2 lead, then expanded on it when it bulged to 8-4 and when Central Hardin got close at 10-9, the Lady Panthers closed strong on a 6-0 run that finished it out for the win.
So as Catlett and the Lady Panthers celebrated their historic victory, several of the main players took a moment to savior a win, two of which, Grace Filburn and Elizabeth Godfrey had played their final Region Tourney game about how surreal it seemed sometimes with so much uncertainity swirling around four months ago during summer workouts and now they stood at the Winners Circle.
And yet, there was Hargan drilling kill shots in the fifth game and Sarah Clark finding the open player or Filburn with another perfect set while Godfrey ran the offense like a pro and the support cast of Natalie Shaw, Jenna Smallwood and Molly Morton played consistant all season long.
Catlett, who won another tough five game set over his friend and rival Bill Rineker will have a lot to reflect on come seasons end after the way the season played out and hopefully he’ll do it after his team just won the right to face powerful Mercy Acedemy in the first round of the KHSAA State Tournament.
To some, it may have seemed like a dream going 16-5 against one of the toughest schedules in team history and still building a path way for future success in a so called bridge season.
So, let’s allow Catlett and the Lady Panthers a moment to enjoy their historic win in the season that almost wasn’t before someone decides to spoil things and wake him up.
