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By Paul Lunsford

Harlan County and Bell County claimed easy wins on Monday in the 52^nd District Volleyball Tournament at Harlan High School.

The Lady Bears defeated Harlan 3-0 (25-9, 25-18, 25-20) while the Lady Cats thrashed Middlesboro 3-0 (25-5, 25-15, 25-14).

The Lady Bears, now 7-15, will take on top-seeded Bell County (20-8) for the district championship on Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Lady Cats will be looking for their fourth straight district title.

Lindsey Browning led Harlan County with five kills. Kalista Dunn had four. Lily Caballero and Destiny Cornett added three apiece while Lindsay Hall collected two. Serenity Whitehead had one.

Cornett powered HC with 13 assists.

Whitehead led the team with three digs. Caballero and Dunn each had two. Browning added one.

Whitelead also collected 13 service aces for the Lady Bears. Browning added seven while Dunn had six. Hall and Cornett contributed two apiece. Caballero added one.

Marissa Marlowe had three kills and two blocks for the Lady Dragons. Emma Owens had two assists, two digs and a service ace. Annie Hoskins led the team with four aces. Carly Thomas, Mallory McNeil each added two digs. Kendyll Blanton had an assist and one ace. Cambell Nunez contributed an assist and a dig. Doneisha Harristion and Ella Farley each added one dig.

The Lady Dragons closed the season with a 7-9 record. It marked the fifth consecutive season with a losing record for Harlan.

The Lady Dragons had two seniors on the team this season, Harriston and Skylar Helton. Harlan was coached by Shawna Cox.

Middlesboro ended the season with a 4-19 mark, including a seven-game losing streak to close its season. The Lady Jackets have suffered through 10 straight losing seasons while winning just 30 games over the last decade.