Lady Panthers Sweep Indians, Edge Rebels in Back-to-Back Region Wins

BLAIRSVILLE, Ga. — The Union County Lady Panthers kept their late-season surge alive with a pair of gritty region victories Thursday, first smothering Stephens County 25-14, 25-12 before holding off Fannin County 25-17, 22-25, 17-15 in a thriller.

The sweep of the Indians marked Union County's most dominant performance of the week, with the Lady Panthers never trailing in either set. Reese Jones fueled the offense with seven kills, while setter Kamryn Brown orchestrated the attack with 13 assists and a team-high five aces. The win improved Union County to 23-13 overall and snapped a mini-slump after dropping a set in each of their previous two matches.

Later, the Lady Panthers grinded out a 2-1 decision over the Rebels, their closest contest since a five-set marathon on Sept. 20. Jones and Emry Sosensky paced the attack with eight kills apiece, and Brown again shone with 25 assists. Samantha Combs added four aces from the service line, proving pivotal in the decisive third set that Union County claimed 17-15 after trading leads throughout.

The back-to-back triumphs extended the Lady Panthers' hot streak to nine wins in their last 12 matches, positioning them squarely in the Region 7-AAA playoff hunt with a 24-13 record. Stephens County, meanwhile, slipped to 5-26 after dropping 19 of its last 22, while Fannin County fell to 17-18.

Union County, which last topped Fannin in a 2-0 sweep on Sept. 2, will look to build momentum Tuesday, Oct. 7 with a road test at Sonoraville at 5:30 p.m.