BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Raelynn Moore tallied 35 assists, with Ajiyah Jackson recording a team-high 12 kills in the Bradford High School volleyball team’s 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 23-25, 25-13) win over Taylor County in a District 3-3A tournament quarterfinal match on Oct. 16 in Starke.
The third seed Tornadoes (6-10) now play second seed Interlachen (14-4) in a semifinal match on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. in Starke. If Bradford wins, it will play for the championship against either top seed P.K. Yonge (10-9) or fourth seed Crescent City (9-12) on Thursday, Oct.19, at 7 p.m.
It was a one-point game early in the first set before Bradford scored three straight points with Rylie Blankenship serving. Blankenship had an ace during that span to put the Tornadoes up 6-2. Bradford would hold a 4-5-point lead for most of the match.
Sixth seed Taylor (7-12) did eventually tie the score at 19-19 when it scored three points with Hannah Harvey serving.
The Tornadoes later led 22-20 before scoring two points with Moore serving. One point came off a Jackson kill set up by Moore.
Kencie Wainwright ended the set with a tip for the 25-21 final.
The second set was close throughout. With Bradford clinging to a 22-19 lead, Jackson blocked a Bulldogs attack as part of a two-point span with Wainwright serving. The Tornadoes eventually won on a Taylor service error.
Taylor scored eight of the first 11 points of the third set. Bradford went on a four-point run with Rylee Holland serving to even it up at 8-8. Holland had an ace during that span, while Reagan Harris had a kill.
Kills by Harris and Jackson as well as an ace by Moore helped Bradford stay close before the Bulldogs scored four straight points to go up 23-17.
It was 24-20 in favor of Taylor when Bradford scored three straight points, getting two aces from Harris and a block from Ar’Nayshia Griffin. The rally ended with a kill by Taylor’s Claire Parker.
Harli Mosley had two kills during a five-point stretch with Moore serving as Bradford took a 6-1 lead in the fourth set. Jackson recorded a kill as well as a block that led to an eventual point during a four-point span with Wainwright serving, making the score 11-4.
Moore had three service points late in the set to put the Tornadoes ahead 24-11. Moore then recorded the assist on a Jackson kill that ended the match.
Wainwright finished with seven kills, while Harris and Mosley each had six. Harris also had a team-high four aces.
Griffin and Jackson had four and three blocks, respectively, while Blankenship led the team in digs with 38.
Kendell Shanks and Kinley Burkhalter added 14 and nine digs, respectively.
