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Thursday, November 1, 2007
Court Report
Fort Worth, TX
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The Volleyball playoffs are underway and the ladies are battling it out on the court for a trip to Austin. HSSTM takes a brief look back on the district races that led us to this point.
8-5A
Most expected District 8-5A to feature a three-headed monster, and those assumptions were correct. Arlington, Martin and Lamar broke away from the pack, leaving Duncanville, Cedar Hill and Sam Houston to battle for the district’s fourth playoff berth.
TCU commitment Sarah Joeckel paced the Lady Colts, which split the season series with Martin by avenging a September loss with a thrilling 3-2 victory in early October. Joeckel was among the area leaders in kills. She was often assisted by sophomore Alex Nunn, who was among the area’s best in assists per game.
Martin was cruising along in district play until falling to the Colts in early October. Part of the Lady Warriors offensive success came from the serves of Bella Romero and Maddie Hanlan, who were both among the area leaders in aces.
Lamar largely dominated its district opponents, except for Arlington and Martin, which combined to send the Lady Vikes to a brief two-game losing streak in late September. Sophomore setter Anna Berry was among the area leaders in assists.
7-5A
Longtime rivals Trinity and L.D. Bell established themselves as the clear powers of 7-5A. Trinity was dominating in district play, not losing a single game until October 5 against Irving. The Lady Trojans still won that match 3-1. L.D. Bell opened district play with five consecutive 3-0 victories before being steamrolled by the Trinity juggernaut.
Trinity established a school record when it went to 9-0 in district, the first time the program had ever accomplished such a feat.
Trinity’s Lauren Martin was among the area kill leaders, while teammate Zoe Adom proved to be a blocking force for the Lady Trojans. Bell’s Amber Smith was on of the area’s assist leaders.
5-5A
Keller Central established itself as the team to beat after it went through the first round of district play undefeated, knocking off Southlake Carroll on the last weekend of September. The Lady Dragons had not lost a district game previous to that match.
All-star setter Kelsey Mahoney led the Lady Chargers. Mahoney was atop the area leaderborads in both assists and aces. The Chargers also excelled defensively behind the digging abilities of Amber Parker and Jayma Mickler.
Carroll was paced offensively by junior hitter Sloane Sunstrum, who was among the area leaders in kills. Defensively, the Lady Dragons were solid on the net, with both Sally Johnson and Lacey Robinson among the top blockers in the area.
4-5A
Newcomer Mansfield Legacy immediately made its presence felt by defeating Mansfield in mid-September. Still, it was the Lady Tigers that sat atop the district standings most of the season, taking control after defeating Weatherford in mid-October to complete a season sweep of the Roos. Those three teams, along with Summit, separated themselves from the rest of the district.
Legacy’s Paige Tabor was among the area leaders in aces. Though her team struggled, Paschal’s Lexi Hegi had a solid season, placing among the area leaders in both assists and aces.
8-4A
Area powerhouse Aledo was dominant, though they did have to fight from an 0-2 deficit to overtake Stephenville in late September. The Lady Bearcats success was impressive considering its roster boasts only four seniors and three returning players from last season’s squad.
Allie Bettinger led the team in kills and was among the area leaders in that category. She was often assisted by Jordan Goings, who was also among the area leaders in aces.
Stephenville established itself as the second-best team in the district while Joshua, Crowley, Cleburne, and Everman were left to battle it out for the remaining playoff spots.
Joshua’s Jordan Neal was a standout for the Owls. She was among the area leaders in both kills and aces.
7-4A
Arlington Heights continued its dominance of District 7-4A, which dates back a few years now. The Lady Jackets embody the concept of a team, with relatively few standouts, though Brooke Halsey was among the area leaders in aces. Southwest figured to give Heights a challenge, but came up short. The Lady Raiders still put together a solid season, as did O.D. Wyatt.
6-4A
This could arguably be the toughest district in the state. Like 8-5A, a three-headed monster kept any of Boswell, Azle, or Birdville from sweeping through district play. All three schools were among the top-ranked in the area all season, and feature some of the top talent around.
Kristen Hester, who has committed to the University of Pacific, was at the top of the kills leaderboard much of the season. The do-everything superstar was also among the area leaders in aces and digs. Teammate Sam Cool was among the digs leaders.
Birdville often leaned on its talented trio of Brenda Jackson, Kendal Ford, and Kelsey Plunk. Jackson was among the area kills and digs leaders, while teammate Nicole Vanderlaan was also among the top in digs. Sydni Levy led the team in aces and was among the area leaders in that category.
Azle standout Emily Walter helped her team keep pace in 6-4A. Walter was also among the area kills leaders, and teammate Sarah Mendez was among the leaders in aces.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see any of these three battle-tested teams at this month’s state tournament in Austin.
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