Lady Lions win championship at Electra
By Sam Waller
The Albany Lady Lions dropped one set in seven matches last week, closing out the second week of competition by winning the championship of the Electra tournament.
The Lady Lions (10-3) began the third week of play Tuesday, Aug. 22, with a match at Bryson, winning 25-18, 25-14, 25-9.
Albany will make its final tournament appearance Thursday-Saturday, Aug. 24-26, at Aspermont.
“We’re getting in lots of games, which is good,” Lady Lions coach M.J. Reneau said. “We need as much court time as possible to get prepared for district.”
The Lady Lions opened the week Tuesday, Aug. 15 by defeating Newcastle 25-13, 24-21, 25-22.
In pool play Thursday, Aug. 17 at Electra, the Lady Lions claimed the top seed by sweeping Munday 25-13, 25-17, Petrolia 25-11, 25-12, and Chillicothe 25-16, 25-8.
In bracket play on Saturday, Aug. 19, the Lady Lions topped Prairie Valley 25-13, 25-13 in the quarterfinals and Munday 25-13, 25-14 in the semifinals. In the championship match against Electra, Albany rallied from a first-set loss to win 22-25, 25-20, 25-23.
Individual statistics for the week were not available.
Middle blockers Kiana Roberson and Caroline Holson were named to the all-tournament team at Electra.
“The Electra tournament was really good for us,” Reneau said. “We had to travel pretty far and play three matches each day.”
Reneau said one benefit to playing three times a day is testing stamina.
“We got some practice playing when we’re tired,” she said. “We got some practice making sure we were still doing the right thing on the court, getting to the right positions even though we’re worn out. I feel like we’re building up our endurance and really starting to find our team chemistry.”
After this week, the Lady Lions will be able to get into the Tuesday-Saturday routine, playing seven more matches before opening District 6-2A play Saturday, Sept. 23, at home against Bangs.
“We’re excited because school’s started, and now we’ll go to Tuesdays and Saturdays,” Reneau said. “Two-a-days and tournament season are such a grind. We’re excited to finally get into a routine, but we’re excited that we have been successful during the hardest part.”
