After George Rogers Clark’s volleyball team beat region-leading Bourbon County on their home floor on Sept. 17, the two teams squared off Thursday night in a rematch.

Before the match started, GRC recognized their three seniors in a beautifully decorated Letcher Norton Gymnasium.

The girls, Skylar Carmichael, Abby Flynn and Molly Robertson, walked through an arch of Cardinal-colored balloons with their families. They were met at center court with two of their teammates who handed them a present and a bouquet of flowers.

“Those girls mean a lot to me, we’ve gone through a lot together. I love them. I’ve been able to see them grow as players and young women. ” head coach Jesse Bryson said. “And they lead, through and through. Not just as great leaders on the team, but as strong, independent women, which is what I’m trying to coach. That’s why you see those girls talking between sets, not me, and everything they’re saying is something I’ve said in the past that they’ve learned from and hopefully used for the good. I’m really impressed with them and they will be missed.”

After the ceremonies, the Lady Cardinals were ready to play.

The first set was underway and GRC had a 9-5 lead early, but then gave up five consecutive points to fall behind for the first time. The two teams would trade points until the Lady Colonels took a 24-22 lead. A GRC timeout helped them regroup and get two straight points to tie it up but ultimately dropped the set 26-24.

The Cards got off to a good start in the second set, jumping to a 7-2 lead. They held onto the lead for most of the set and led by as many as 18-11. The Lady Colonels fought back and tied the match at 24-24, but GRC was able to win the set 26-24.

The Lady Cardinals weren’t able to get off to the same start in the third set, falling behind early. Down 13-9, Bryson called a timeout to regroup her team. They were able to fight back and tie the game at 16 but gave up 9 of the next 10 points to drop the set 25-17.

With the momentum shifted their way, Bourbon County took another lead to start the fourth set. Up as many as 18-10, it looked as if the Cards were done, but they still had some left in the tank. They scored 10 of the next 15 points to cut the lead to 23-20, but weren’t able to complete the comeback and fell 25-20.

“I saw intensity, competitiveness, grit and determination from my team tonight, which is what we’ve struggled with all season,” Bryson said. “We have a bunch of younger players that aren’t used to pressure and we haven’t been able to face that and come full circle to compete against a good team.”

GRC is back in action on Oct. 8 as they host Campbell County at 6:30 p.m. It will be the first matchup between the two teams since last season’s 10th Region Tournament when the Camels ended the Lady Cardinals season.