Only one thing stood in the Cougars’ way. And that was no small thing as the Alter Knights had made four consecutive state trips. Make it five as Alter beat Kenton Ridge in straight sets, 25-13, 25-21, 25-10.
“It was awesome to have this opportunity, even the extra practices were fun,” Cougars senior Julia Littell said. “It was a privilege to play Alter, but we were definitely nervous.”
While the Cougars were nervous, the Knights were focused as a tip by senior middle hitter Jocelyn Meyer boosted Alter to a 14-7 first-set lead and forced Saunders to burn a timeout. Despite the break, the Cougars weren’t able to make the necessary adjustments and the Knights quickly went up a set.
The Cougars, however, wasted no time stealing the second-set momentum as Kenton Ridge quickly boasted a 7-2 advantage and led by as many as seven points early. But the Knights fought back, rattling off five straight points to cut the Cougars’ lead to 14-13 midway through the set. Alter regained the lead for the first time since the opening serve at 18-17 and never trailed again, taking a two-set lead.
The third set was all Alter as the Knights rattled off seven points before the Cougars got on the scoreboard. The defending D-II state runners-up earned a return trip to the Final Four.
“It was a consummate example of executing our game plan,” Alter coach Tina Jasinowski said. “We knew that Kenton Ridge was resilient and determined and we knew we had to be more resilient and determined.”
One week earlier, the Cougars battled back from a two-set deficit to beat Wyoming 3-2 in the D-II district final.
Saturday’s loss marks more than just the end of Kenton Ridge’s 24-4 season, but the end of an era as Saunders is retiring after spending 21 non-consecutive seasons at the helm of the program.
While a return to the regional final was a welcome career capstone, it wasn’t the best part of the season for the veteran coach. Saunders, who is also a fourth-grade teacher, remembers some of the girls — like senior Lexi White — as grade school kids.
“The thing that comes to mind when I think about these girls is family,” Saunders said. “That’s what I will miss most.”
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