BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Union County High School’s volleyball team dropped a 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-21) match against visiting Lafayette on Sept. 19 as part of a 1-2 week in which both losses were to fellow Rural Classification schools that are ranked 1 and 2 in the Florida High School Athletic Association power rankings.
The Tigers (10-7) got 15 kills and six digs from Jailyn Simmons, while Layla Barber had 10 kills and 11 digs in the match against top-ranked Rural team Lafayette. Morgan Smith and Indi Knox had 13 and nine kills, respectively, with Knox also recording 15 digs.
Bella Johns led the team in digs with 22. Kamryn had 14 to go along with her 22 assists.
Abby Williams recorded 19 assists and seven digs.
The week began with a 3-0 (25-10, 25-19, 25-7) loss to Branford — the second-ranked Rural team — on Sept. 16 in Lake Butler. Barber and Simmons each had six kills, while Knox had five. Simmons and Barber also had five and two blocks, respectively.
Johns had 19 digs, with the Tigers also getting 13 from Southerland, nine from Knox and six from Bayley Staier.
Southerland and Williams recorded nine and seven assists, respectively.
Union traveled to play Class 3A Keystone Heights on Sept. 17, getting 15 assists and 10 digs from Southerland in a 3-0 (25-10, 25-23, 25-20) win.
Simmons had 12 kills and three blocks. Barber and Knox each had seven kills.
Johns had 24 digs, while Knox and Barber had nine and six, respectively.
Williams added seven assists.
Union plays at Class 2A P.K. Yonge on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 6:30 p.m., following a junior varsity match at 5:30 p.m.
The Tigers host Class 4A teams Baker County on Thursday, Sept. 26, and Suwannee on Monday, Sept. 30. Both matches are at 6:30 p.m., following 5:30 p.m. JV matches.
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, Union plays P.K. Yonge again, hosting the Blue Wave at 6:30 p.m. The JV teams will play at 5:30 p.m.
