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  • Ashburn Teen Mary Kate Connor Earns Playoff Pass in ‘Anti-Hero’ Battle
Kylee Dayne and Mary Kate Connor smile after facing off on
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Ashburn Teen Mary Kate Connor Earns Playoff Pass in ‘Anti-Hero’ Battle

Coach Blake Shelton said his heart was “cracking literally” before declaring a winner.

By Will Vitka March 29, 2023 at 2:46 pm

Stone Bridge High School senior Mary Kate Connor faced off against Kylee Dayne in Tuesday night’s battle on NBC’s The Voice — and both Blake Shelton team members walked away winners.

The two singer-songwriters faced off with their renditions of Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero.” And both had fans among the coaches.

Niall Horan said the performance gave him “little goosebumps.”

“Holy moly. That was honestly one of my favorite ones I’ve seen,” Horan said, noting that he leaned toward Connor.

“It seems like y’all grew up together something because it was so insane,” Chance the Rapper said. “The harmonies mesh so well, y’all should record a cover or something.” He gave a nod to Dayne.

Kelly Clarkson said Connor had a “breathtakingly beautiful” voice. “It was so evenly matched guys.”

Shelton said both singers gave “150 percent” before making his call.

“I mean, my heart is cracking literally right now,” he said.

Ultimately, Shelton declared Dayne the winner of the battle, but Connor isn’t headed home to Ashburn.

Connor earned herself a playoff pass from Shelton, which allows her to skip ahead the knockout rounds and go right to the playoffs.

The Voice airs at 9 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC. You can catch it the next day on Peacock.

Featured photo courtesy NBC/YouTube

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