Bowling Green High School celebrates after a point against Warren East HS in a Purples' 3 set victory in the District 14 Tournament semifinal at Greenwood Tuesday Oct. 19 in Bowling Green.

Bowling Green junior setter Kaia Barnett is an excellent decision-maker on the floor for the Lady Purples.

That’s excellent news for her team because Barnett faces a dizzying array of choices in who to feed for a potential kill – this Bowling Green squad is loaded with talented hitters.

Barnett’s smart choices were on display once more in Tuesday’s District 14 Volleyball Tournament semifinal matchup against Warren East, as she tallied 35 assists in a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-15) win at Greenwood High School.

The victory moves the top-seeded Lady Purples into Thursday’s district championship against the Greenwood-South Warren winner and earned Bowling Green a second straight spot in the upcoming Region 4 tournament.

“We have a very strong line, but I feel like it stems from our defense,” Barnett said. “Our defense has to be strong so our hitters can attack. And our hitters know their job – they know where they need to place the ball and they are very smart with where they need to go.”

Bowling Green (28-6) shook off a slow start against the fourth-seeded Lady Raiders, rallying from an early deficit to build a 22-16 lead in the first set. Warren East (20-17) rallied for three straight points to cut the margin to two points but could get no closer in a 25-19 loss.

The Lady Raiders came in with the confidence of having won a set against Bowling Green during one of two regular-season losses, and kept battling in the second set. East was up 13-11 before back-to-back kills by Bowling Green’s Charli Hodges and Elizabeth Maglinger followed by Kenzie Austin’s ace gave the Lady Purples a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Warren East got back within two at 20-18 on Darby Barnett’s kill, but Bowling Green scored five of the final six points for a 25-19 win.

“I think this district, from a statewide perspective, is a little bit overlooked, underrated, however you want to say it,” Bowling Green coach Tim Sharp said. “Volleyball in Bowling Green is definitely continuing to grow and therefore you’re seeing it spill over into some more competitive high school teams.”

The Lady Purples finally removed some suspense in the third set, opening up a commanding 9-1 lead after Lily-Kate Carver delivered back-to-back aces and a kill to cap an 8-0 run.

The Lady Raiders cut that deficit to seven at 20-13 but could get no closer. Baleigh Young finished with a team-high eight kills, Jada Knight had 27 assists and 13 digs and Cayden Vandiver finished with a team-best 23 digs for East.

“We have went through so many obstacles with COVID and injuries,” Warren East coach Sheila Yokley said. “We’ve had to battle through all of it and these kids peaked at the right time. They wanted this game in the worst way.”

Carver paced the Lady Purples with 11 kills. Amirra Bailey added nine kills and Maglinger added seven kills.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Hodges, a senior for the Lady Purples. “Everything that we’ve worked toward this season, it’s really starting to pay off and I’m loving it.”

Sharp was happy with his team’s play on the back row, plus an efficient passing night and the solid play from Bowling Green’s hitters.

“It’s one of those that you’ve got to survive and advance,” Sharp said. “I feel like we definitely have some things that we can work on from tonight.

“But it’s good to get that first one under your belt.”