Pulling off a district victory took every bit of the energy the Lady Pioneers could expend Monday night. Warren County rallied to a five-set victory over LaVergne, edging the Lady Wolverines in a classic match at Charlie Dalton Gym.

Warren County (2-2) fell behind by losing in excruciating fashion in the first two sets (30-32 and 23-25), but dug deep to storm back and take the last three sets 25-23, 25-19 and 15-7. It was an important comeback for the Lady Pioneers, who had dropped their first two district contests to Wilson Central and Cookeville last week and were in need of some momentum.

Kassi Nuckols was a huge catalyst in the final three sets, nailing 10 of her team-high 14  kills during the stretch. She also collected the final point for Warren County, leaping at the right time on a ball hit slightly over the net by the Wolverines and hammering to the floor between two defenders to start a celebration on the home floor.

The comeback effort was also aided be setter Abigail Brown, who racked up a career-high 32 assists in the marathon match at home. She spread out her passing, feeding Nuckols on the edge and also giving chances for lefties Lola Wells and Aubrey Oleksik (five kills each) to attack. 

Freshman middle hitter Natalie Payne also had a breakout performance at home, finishing with 11 kills. Samantha Saldana was also a commanding presence in the middle, leading the team with four blocks.

All-around defensive efforts by Ali Young (21 digs) and Wells (20 digs) on the back row also helped turned the tide for Warren County.

Hope Gilley also chipped in three aces and 16 digs as Warren County's depth helped wear out LaVergne's thin roster by the final set.

Warren County had a chance to run its win streak to two in a row Tuesday in a home match against Lebanon. Results were unavailable at press time.

The Lady Pioneers will continue a busy week with a matchup at Sparta Thursday (6 p.m. start).