Girls stay undefeated with 9-0 record
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lady Lions volleyball team remained undefeated by sweeping Olney on Aug. 17 and Eastland on Friday.
The Lady Lions were scheduled to play Ranger on Tuesday in their District 6-2A opener.
They won easily in three sets 25-15, 25-7, 25-6, with details of that match to be reported next week.
After playing Ranger, the Lady Lions are scheduled to play in the Buckle Up for Lane’s Sake Volleyball Tournament at Nocona from Thursday (today) through Saturday.
“We are excited for the Nocona tournament and playing some teams we’ve never seen before,” Reneau said.
Following the tournament, Albany will have one more nondistrict match on Sept. 14 against Snyder.
Last Week’s Games
On Tuesday, Aug. 17, Albany (8-0) defeated Olney 25-14, 24-7, 25-17. The Lady Lions served 23 aces in the match.
“We were able to look at a few different rotations against Olney,” Lady Lions coach M.J. Reneau said. “We want to be prepared, and I wanted the girls to play some different positions and get that experience. Everything we do now is preparing us for district.”
albany AT OLNEY
PLAYER Serves Aces Kills Digs Blks Asst
R. Lucas 8 1 - 2 - -
G. Price 4 - 1 2 - -
A. Garcia 14 7 1 2 - -
S. Cotter 7 3 11 4 3 -
C. Holson 16 6 1 4 - 23
L. Chavez 1 - - 1 - -
P. Green 7 4 - 1 - -
A. Holson - - 1 - - -
T. Brown 5 2 5 1 - -
K. Roberson - - 5 - 1 -
On Friday, Albany defeated Eastland 25-10, 25-23, 25-20. The Lady Lions had another strong serving performance, recording 14 aces.
albany VS. EASTLAND
PLAYER Serves Aces Kills Digs Blks Asst
R. Lucas 19 3 - 7 - -
G. Price - - - 2 - -
A. Garcia 22 6 2 7 - -
S. Cotter 11 2 22 3 3 -
C. Holson 4 - - 2 - 23
L. Chavez 4 1 - 5 - -
A. Holson - - 1 - - -
T. Brown 2 2 5 7 - -
K. Roberson - - 2 1 1 -
Junior Varsity
The Lady Lions JV1 team also swept its two matches for the week, defeating Olney 26-24, 25-18 and Eastland 25-9, 25-16.
“The girls did a great job of communicating against Olney,” coach Jamie Wilson said. “Ella Webb had some great swings at the net and did a great job serving. Overall, it was a good fighting match for them.”
Wilson was also pleased with the effort against Eastland.
“It was a great win,” she said. “The girls pulled together and beat an always-good Eastland team. Callan Edgar had a great serving game the first set, and the entire team had a very good serving performance the second set.”
Albany’s JV2 team split its matches, defeating Olney 25-19, 11-25, 25-10 before falling to Eastland 14-25, 27-29.
“The JV2 was on a little bit of a roller coaster against Olney,” Wilson said. “After winning the first set, they dropped the second set because they didn’t talk on the floor, but they finished strong in the third set. Avery Everitt had a whopping 13 serves in a row for the Lady Lions in the third set. It was a great finish for the team.”
Against Eastland, the JV2 team was forced to change its lineup and encountered some early struggles.
“After our setter got sick before the game, the girls did a fantastic job of adjusting to their roles,” Wilson said. “Avery Everitt, who had never set a game in her life, stepped up for her team and took on that tough position. The girls took a minute to adjust, but fought hard all the way to the end. Although they came up short, there was a fire in their eyes that makes us excited to start district.”
The JV1 team improved its record to 5-1, while JV2 is 2-4.
On Tuesday, Aug. 31, the JV1 team will play at Comanche, while the varsity and JV2 team visit Woodson.
