Lady Tigers dispatch East Newton in district opener

Survive and advance.

That’s exactly what the third-seeded Nevada Lady Tiger volleyball team did Tuesday night in Mt. Vernon — defeating the sixth-seeded East Newton Lady Patriots in three sets in the opening round of the Class 3 District 12 volleyball tournament.

Nevada (16-14-1) led 20-16 in the first set, before East Newton went on a 6-1 blitz to grab a 22-21 advantage. The Lady Tigers then reeled off the next three points. Leading 24-22, Nevada was unable to close out the set, as East Newton tied the match at 24-apiece. The Lady Tigers then regrouped, taking the next two points to seal the first set victory, 26-24.

East Newton came out strong in the second set, leading throughout en route to 25-17 win.

It was all Nevada in the third and decisive set as the Lady Tigers opened up a commanding 18-9 lead, before taking the set by a final count of 25-14.

For Nevada, junior Adrian Bond tallied 18 kills; Sydney Ernsbarger, 17 kills and six blocks; Hailey Jackson, 35 digs and two aces; and Stacy Pennington, 19 digs.

The victory advances Nevada to the semis, where they match-up with No. 2 seed Mt. Vernon, tonight at 6:30 p.m.