Lady Lions still strong with district showdown Friday
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lady Lions moved up to No. 11 in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 2A volleyball poll after sweeping a pair of Class 1A opponents in District 6-2A competition.
The Lady Lions improved to 18-3 overall by defeating Moran 25-12, 25-8, 25-12 at Moran on Sept. 7, then beat Newcastle 25-16, 25-12, 25-7 Saturday at home.
“The girls had a strong week, winning both games in three sets each,” Lady Lions coach M.J. Reneau said.
Albany was scheduled to host Class 4A Snyder on Tuesday before visiting Hawley in a key district showdown on Saturday.
The Lady Lions defeated Snyder’s Lady Tigers 25-8, 25-13, 25-14. Details of the match will be reported next week.
“We’ve been working on our quick offense in practice," Reneau said. “That will help us in the games this week.”
Reneau said the approach relies heavily on setter Clara Holson.
“Our setter has been really connecting with our hitters well in practice and in the games,” Reneau said. “We are trying to emphasize the importance of taking advantage of free balls and making fewer errors than the other team.”
albany VS. MORAN
PLAYER Serves Aces Kills Digs Blks Asst
R. Lucas 14 3 - 2 - -
A. Garcia 13 4 1 3 - -
S. Cotter 5 2 11 1 - -
C. Holson 3 1 - - - 20
L. Chavez - - - 2 - -
P. Green 1 - - 2 - -
A. Holson - - 1 - - 1
T. Brown 11 1 6 3 - -
K. Roberson - - 4 - - -
albany VS. NEWCASTLE
PLAYER Serves Aces Kills Digs Blks Asst
R. Lucas 17 6 - 8 - -
A. Garcia 12 3 - 6 - 1
S. Cotter 10 5 12 2 - -
C. Holson 6 - 2 8 - 15
P. Green 3 - - 1 - -
S. Cormack - - 1 - - -
A. Holson - - - 1 - -
T. Brown 7 3 5 4 - -
K. Roberson 8 3 1 - - -
Junior Varsity
The Lady Lions JV teams had a busy day Saturday, competing in the Clyde JV tournament.
The JV1 team opened the week on Tuesday, Sept. 7 by defeating Knox City 25-9, 25-18.
“The girls were ready to play,” coach Jamie Wilson said. “Abi Hale went on a great serving run which solidified the win for the first set. The team did a great job of finishing in the second set as well.”
The JV2 team also played Knox City on Sept. 7, losing 26-28, 25-16, 18-25.
“This was a great game against a tough Knox City team,” Wilson said. “The girls fought hard. They forced a third set because they never gave up.”
At Clyde, the JV1 opened with a 20-25, 15-25 loss to Sweetwater.
“That was a very tough first game for the tournament,” Wilson said, "but the girls tried their hardest. We had some great rallies throughout the entire match. Our front row had some great hits at the net.”
The JV1 bounced back to beat Colorado City 25-23, 25-19.
“Callan Edgar came in to set for us and did a fantastic job,” Wilson said. “We had some girls playing places they don’t usually play. and they accepted it and did a wonderful job.”
JV1 closed out the tourney with a 23-25, 25-22, 12-15 loss to Hawley to finish the week with a 9-4 overall record.
“It was a great game against a tough district opponent,” Wilson said. “The girls fought hard to go to a third set, and we had some great things happen.”
The JV2 opened the tournament with a 25-22, 16-25, 6-15 loss to Sweetwater.
“The girls came out hot but couldn’t hold onto the lead,” Wilson said. “They’re getting better every game. We are seeing more swings at the net, which means better passing.”
The JV2 came back to beat Coahoma 25-23, 25-23.
“The girls played great after losing the first one,” Wilson said. “They didn’t let their heads get down, and they played hard.”
JV2 lost their final match to Cooper 27-29, 19-25 to finish the week with a 3-8 overall record.
“It was a great tournament for both teams,” Wilson said. “We all learned a lot and got in a lot of playing time.”
