Sophomore Cameron Neely helped her Taylor team advance to the Class 1A state championship game with a dominating semifinal performance.
Neely led with 20 kills in the Wildcats 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 25-19) victory over Bell.
Neely’s back-to-back aces gave the Wildcats some separation in the first set. And after Bell stormed back to tie the set at 23-all, Neely closed it out with consecutive kills.
In the second set, Bell stormed out to a 19-6 lead behind Shelbie Hutto’s strong effort. But Taylor fought with eight-straight points to pull within five. Bell was able to hold off the Wildcats and take the second set, their first state semifinal set victory.
The third sets started off as a back-and-forth battle for the lead before Bell pulled away for a 20-14 lead before Taylor ripped off seven-consecutive points for a 21-19 lead. The back-and-forth battle resumed before Taylor was able to put together a couple of points to take the third set.
In the fourth, Bell again stormed out to an early lead before Taylor clawed its way back. With the game tied at 11-all, Reilly Coombs served up a pair of aces. And then Neely did the rest, taking over the set and helping Taylor win it.
Taylor will face Sneads for the Class 1A title LIVE on BHSN Wednesday at 3 p.m.