BY BRIAN HAMILTON
KODAK – The 2025 season arrived with high expectations for Northview Academy, as the Lady Cougars bring back most of their core and the fact that the region is much more favorable now. The last two teams to defeat NVA and deny them a shot at state were Anderson County and Gibbs, who are both now in Class 3A.
Pigeon Forge opened the season hoping to turn the corner, after a 10-13 2024 campaign and 4th place district finish.
Northview Academy’s Kinsey Collins (8) sends one over the net, while Pigeon Forge’s Taylor McGaha (15) looks on. Photo by Brian Hamilton
The Lady Cougars did not disappoint on Tuesday night, however, sweeping the Lady Tigers 25-16, 25-17, and 25-19.
“I was very pleased, but sometimes we kind of lull ourselves to sleep or we start out slow, so I was really impressed with how they came out tonight,” Northview Academy head coach Taylor Fagan said. “We’ve kind of been pushing it the last couple weeks. We’ve done a few play dates and played several teams out in Middle Tennessee that really challenged us, but Pigeon Forge is a great team and they gave us a great challenge too.”
Northview Academy opened the first set with a 3-0 lead before the Lady Tigers knotted the score at 3-3. After Claire Houser was unable to return a serve and Madi Rucker hit the ball out of bounds for Pigeon Forge, the Lady Cougars found themselves in front 8-3.
A couple of back-to-back kills by junior Kinsey Collins gave Northview a 10-3 lead. The Lady Cougars went on a 9-0 run to lead 12-3 before before Pigeon Forge scored again. The run finally ended when Lily Stevens was unable to get the serve across, making the score 12-4.
Another pair of kills by Collins gave the Lady Cougars a 16-5 lead. Pigeon Forge would stand its ground however, as an ace by Rylinn Ginter pulled the Lady Tigers to within 20-12. A kill by Kylie Reddell later trimmed the deficit to 21-14.
Northview Academy would close out the first set with a 25-16 win, however, as Collins threw down a two-handed spike for the final point.
Pigeon Forge opened the second set by taking a 2-0 lead before the Lady Cougars came back to go ahead 3-2. A couple of back-to-back aces by Lily Stevens put Northview ahead 5-3.
After a dig by Reddell and a kill by Taylor McGaha, Pigeon Forge still found itself trailing 9-6. Northview would take an 11-7 lead after a couple kills by Collins.
The Lady Tigers continued to hang around in the second set, as a kill by Rucker trimmed the deficit to 16-12, but a kill by Savannah Clifford would stretch the NVA lead back to 19-12.
NVA Head Coach Taylor Fagan talks to her team during a timeout. Photo by Brian Hamilton
Collins scored on back-to-back kills again later in the set to make the score 22-15. Trailing 24-15, Pigeon Forge scored two straight points to cut the lead to 24-17, but Collins would end the set with a soft tap over the net for the kill and a 25-17 win.
The third set between the two teams was the most competitive of the match. Northview took a 6-3 lead early on, but a strong kill by Reddell made the score 6-5.
McGaha tapped one over the net for a kill to tie the game at 7-7. The Lady Tigers would take a 9-8 lead when Lily Stevens hit the ball into the net. Pigeon Forge would lead 12-8 after Clifford spiked the ball out of bounds.
From that moment on, it would be all Northview Academy, as the Lady Cougars embarked on a 10-0 run, capped by a Clifford kill to make the score 18-12.
Clifford later saved a volley from going out of bounds to land a point that put the Lady Cougars in front 22-15. Pigeon Forge would attempt to climb back as senior Kenzie Parton scored back-to-back aces, cutting the lead to 24-19.
Northview Academy would go on to win the set 25-19, however, as Pigeon Forge’s Reddell was unable to successfully return a dig, giving the Lady Cougars a 3-0 sweep of the match.
“The third set is always a challenge for us,” said Fagan. “I don’t know if we get tired, I don’t know what it is about it. It was really important to us. I said in the timeout that we’ve got to take this one, that we could not give it up, and I’m really glad that they rose to that challenge.”
Collins finished the match with a plethora of kills, as the junior hitter looks to help guide the Lady Cougars to their first state tournament berth.
“She’s so exciting and she just keeps getting better and better and taller,” Fagan said after the match. “She’s really a fantastic player and she has the best personality and the best sportsmanship. She’s really one of those all-around, you can count on her for anything-type people, but when the ball comes out of her hand, it’s going to the floor. We’re really excited about Kensey — she’s going to be amazing.”
Northview Academy (1-0) will travel to Lenoir City (2-0) Thursday night, while Pigeon Forge (0-1) will host Gatlinburg-Pittman (0-2) on Thursday.