Lady Lions battle through busy week on the court
The Albany Lady Lions had a full schedule this past week, starting with tournament play in Eastland before facing Abilene Christian on Tuesday and now turning their focus to hosting their own tournament at home.
Eastland Tournament
The Lady Lions competed in the Eastland tournament on Aug. 21 and 23, with the JV squad playing on the 22nd. Albany finished first in pool play, defeating Aspermont and Strawn. They then advanced through bracket play with a strong showing before meeting host Eastland.
“Eastland had beat us pretty good last Tuesday, and in this game we took them to a third set and only lost by two,” said head coach MJ Reneau. “The girls made huge strides from Tuesday to Saturday. It was a pretty emotional game because we had something to compare to.”
Albany ultimately fell to Chico to finish fourth out of 12 teams. Reneau said she was proud of the effort. “Again, it’s just practice, and there were lots of good things. Our young players got lots of good reps, and our chemistry just gets better every game.”
The JV team also had a strong outing in their one-day round robin, winning both of their matches.
Abilene Christian match
On Aug. 26, the Lady Lions battled against a tough Abilene Christian team at home. Reneau said she was pleased with her team’s fight, even in defeat.
“We knew Abilene Christian was going to be tough, and I felt like we gave it everything we had,” she said. “The girls never gave up, and they were making hustle plays. What I liked is every time we got down, they didn’t stop being aggressive. That’s growth for us since the beginning of the season.”
Key players included Charlee Hefner, who returned from injury, and Madi Parrott who battled through an injury of her own.
“Mimi Ivy and Zayne Lefevre have shown great leadership, and really the whole team has worked together to make plays.” Reneau said. “There were several rallies where all three hitters got a hit, and so it was the full team effort.”
The crowd played a role in the intensity of the match. “We had those Chick-fil-A meal deals going on, and I knew that would draw a pretty big crowd,” Reneau laughed. “I think our girls played up with that, and we gave them a good game.”
The match went four sets, with ACS winning 25-16, 14-25, 25-18, 25-19.
Albany Tournament
Now the Lady Lions turn to their annual home tournament, which runs Thursday through Saturday.
The varsity squad will open pool play at 9:00 a.m. Thursday against Rotan, followed by an 11:00 a.m. matchup with Comanche. Bracket play will begin Saturday. The JV Lady Lions open their tournament run Friday with a 9:00 a.m. game against Coleman and a noon contest with Aspermont.
Reneau said the tournament is an important part of the season. “We’re always excited to host,” she said. “This is one of the highlights of our season, and it feels like it kicks us off in the right direction.”
