Going into Friday's matches, Gunter was firmly in the driver's seat with an 8-0 record, Bells was in second place at 5-3, with Leonard and Blue Ridge a half game back at 4-3 and S&S was within striking distance of the playoffs at 3-5.

The battle for second place intensified when Leonard defeated Bells in straight sets.

The Leonard hitters dominated the first set as the Lady Tigers slammed their way to a 25-12 win.

The second set was a nail-biter. Bells had a 20-19 advantage when a tip kill by Leonard setter Ava Flowers tied the score at 20-20. Bells slipped in front, 21-20, but Leonard pulled even on a kill by Riley Brown. The teams traded points until the scoreboard showed 24-24. A timely block by Brown gave Leonard the lead and a kill by Madison Jones gave the Lady Tigers an exciting 26-24 victory.

The third set was almost as close until kills by Leah Stoy, Avery Ross and Flowers helped Leonard pull away late for a 25-20 win  and the sweep.

It was Leonard's 30th win of the year against only five losses.

Leah Stoy and Bella Neaville both had double-digit kill outings with 11 kills and 10 kills, respectively. Madison Jones also had an impressive performance with nine kills.

Leonard setter Ava Flowers also came up big with five kills, five aces and 35 assists.

Avery Ross put down three kills, with Ashlynn Cavendar and Riley Brown each knocking down one kill.

Brown was a force at the net with a team-high three blocks.

Olivia Aylor came up with seven digs, Jasper Cunningham had three digs, while Emma Houser had one ace and one dig.

With Blue Ridge's win over Howe, that leaves Leonard and Blue Ridge tied for second place in District 11-3A with 5-3 records, and Bells falls a half game back at 5-4.

Leonard will host Pottsboro on Tuesday.

photos by Allen Rich

additional photos pending