What do these numbers mean during a volleyball tri-match: 23-25, 25-22 and 25-16. Answer: a three-set marathon match that lasted an hour and a half.

State ranked Gilmer County came to Paden City Sept. 29 in hopes of making a statement. They won, but the young ‘Cats showed that they can play with the “Big Boys”. The Wildcats did win a set and were in front in the other two sets, before falling late in each of the last two sets, to escape Paden City with the win.

“The girls played their hearts out and left everything on the floor, That’s all a coach can ask for,” said Paden City Head Coach Fred King. “I’m proud as can be with this team. They just go out and give it their all.”

King went on to add, “We had to fight for every point. Gilmer gave us great competition. Their level of competition is compatible with us.”

The Wildcats kept the Bob Burton Gymnasium flying with charisma after posting a 25-23 victory in the first set.

The Wildcats “Italian Filly,” Chiara Di Leo, helped the ‘Cats in the match, scoring a team-high 13 points, while adding three assists. She also contributed eight digs, nine kills, and blocked two shots. Megan Cutlip tallied a game-high 16 points, including a service ace for the ‘Cats. She added an assist, seven digs, and drilled five kills.

Other Lady Wildcats that made some noise in the match include Dominique Craft, Amanda Heasley, Logan Cosper, and Lynnsie Parsons.

Craft totaled 10 points, made an assist, tallied six digs, blasted eight kills, and was strong at the net with a game-high three blocks. Heasley, who has picked up her game to the next level, added nine points, five digs, five kills, and blocked one Gilmer shot. The pint-sized Cosper tallied five points and four digs.

Last, but surely not least, is Parsons – the catalyst who jump-starts the Lady ‘Cats – had 61 sets, with 23 assists to go along with nine points and five digs.

*****

In the match with Bishop Donahue, the Lady Wildcats took total control of the first match, winning 25-14. Paden City lost set two in sudden death 24-26 and smacked the Bishops 25-16 in set three to win the match.

Heasley tallied a game-high 14 points. She added three digs and smacked seven kills to lead the way. Craft scored in double figures with 13 points, while adding two assists and four digs. Cutlip had an overall nice match, scoring eight points, netting three digs, smacking nine kills, and adding an assist.

Other key Wildcat contributors were Di Leo with nine points, including three service aces. She tallied one assist, three digs, and seven kills. Kelsey Loy came off the bench to add one assist, one dig, and five kills. Cosper tallied two points and four digs, while Josie Fox added an assist off the bench. Parsons dished off 30 assists on 55 sets, while adding seven points and four digs.

*****

The Lady Wildcats hosted a tri-match with Wood County Christian and Linsly Sept. 30, defeating Wood County in straight sets, 25-15 and 25-19 and 25-14 and 25-15 against Linsly.

Craft led the charge with 28 points in the two matches, while adding 14 kills and six digs. Heasley followed with 27 points, eight digs, and a dozen kills. Di Leo added nine points, six assists, 14 digs, and 18 kills.

The Human Cannonball, Megan Cutlip, blasted 14 kills, while adding 20 points and 10 digs. Parsons had 108 sets in the two matches with 54 assists to go along with 12 points and four digs. Josie Fox came off the bench against Bishop Donahue and provided one dig and one kill. Cosper tallied five points and 13 digs for the the second- ranked OVAC Class A volleyball team.

In a tri-match Sept. 27 with Cameron and Frontier, it was the homestanding Paden City Lady ‘Cats winning over Cameron in two sets and losing two close ones to the Frontier Lady Cougars, 21-25 in both sets.

Amanda Heasley paced the Wildcats with 20 points, including two service aces, while adding one assist, three digs, and five kills. Miss Do-It-All, Dominique Craft, contributed 15 points, including two service aces. She added an assist, four digs, and posted two kills. Logan Cosper followed with five points, two of which were service aces. She also had a dig for the top ranked OVAC Class A volleyball team.

Lynnsie Parsons had 24 sets, with 14 assists, two digs, and scored four points. Megan Cutlip had her routine match, tallying three points, one assist, four digs, and denting the Bob Burton Gymnasium floor with seven tenacious kills. The Italian Filly, Chiara Di Leo, scored three points, added an assist, and placed four digs, while deflecting three balls on kills. Kelsey Loy came off the bench to add a nasty kill.

****

The Wildcats weren’t as fortunate against the Lady Cougars of Frontier, losing both sets 21-25 to fall 14-4 on the season.

Di Leo tallied a game-high 12 points, while contributing two assists, four digs, and smacking seven kills. Heasley finished off a nice day with 10 points, two digs, and five kills. Cutlip and Craft equally split 10 points, 10 digs, and 14 kills, while Cosper added four points and four digs. Loy came off the bench to add a pair of kills, while the remarkable Parsons scored five points and six digs. She also had 24 assists on 38 sets.