VB: Lady Riders break league skid
net during Tuesday night's District 18-3A match against Jasper. CHS
won its first league match since 2009 with the win. (Photo by John
Krueger)
CENTER, Tx -- It was a long time coming and a lot of hard work went into making it finally happen, but nearly two years of frustration ended for the Center Lady Riders Tuesday night as they secured their first District 18-3A win since 2009 when they built an early lead, fell behind, then rallied to knock off Jasper in a five-set match here in Roughrider Gymnasium.
The Lady Riders won the opening set, 25-13, then struggled in a 22-25 setback in Set 2. Jasper claimed the third set, 25-17, to take a 2-1 lead. But Center rallied for a 25-20 victory in Set 4, then rode that momentum in the fifth set to claim a 15-9 victory.
The victory lifts Center (6-23-1) to 1-4 in league play as the Lady Riders hope that the win on opening night of the second round of district play is a sign of things to come. CHS posted a 4-6 league mark in 2009, then went winless in 2010 in district action before starting the 2011 18-3A campaign by going through the first round winless.
CHS will host all its second round matches. They will be at home Friday to take on Diboll before receiving a bye next Tuesday. The varsity match against the Ladyjacks is set for 4:30 p.m.
"It's been like a rollercoaster ride in district play this year, but I had a feeling about tonight," said first-year Center volleyball coach Christie Benton. "We had to play all of our first round games on the road, but the girls played so hard. They just kept working and kept working.
"But we finally starting to come together (last Friday) against Kirbyville and we battled back and kept our poise.
"One of the problems we've had this season is that we have been fighting ourselves. What I mean is we make mistakes and we struggle to overcome them. I know we're going to make mistakes and the girls have to realize it and not get down on themselves and pick each other up. We've got to learn to overcome mistakes and play better."
Center struggled somewhat at the service line, knocking in 91-of-103 serves, or 89.2%.
"It all starts with the serves," Benton stated. "We missed more serves that I wanted to tonight, but in the fifth game when we needed them the most, we were getting them in. I was so proud of the girls for battling back and getting that momentum in the fourth game and not losing it."
The Lady Riders did record nine service aces in the match. Stephanie Rodriguez, Sykera Berry, Chakera Ingram and Michaela Schulz each were credited with two aces and Requanah Patton added one.
Ingram, also pitched in 14 assists on the night.
Benton said another key to the win was the play of her underclassmen - two of which are sophomores - who hit the ball well and were aggressive at the net. Sophomores Cassie Bush and Lacie Evans, along with the junior Ingram's play on the front were key to helping propel the Lady Riders to the league win. Berry also kept the team's offense in motion with her passing.
In fact, there were a number of players who played well at the net, and as a result, Center finished the match with 31 kills. Ingram led the attack with eight kills, while Evans added nine, Maria Valtierra Chipped in five, Berry and Ashlyn Johnson each pitched in three and Bush and Rodriguez tallied two each.
Evans also was a menace at the net on the defensive side, picking up five blocks. Evans pitched in four for a strong one-two punch.
Set 1
The opening set began even, with Center taking a an 8-5 lead on an ace by Berry and three service points she worked behind the line. But The Lady Bulldogs came back to take a 10-8 advantage.
Bush then recorded a kill, followed by a pair from Berry. That began a 17-3 for the remainder of the set as the Lady Riders seized control. Ingram posted a pair of aces at the line and Evans posted two blocks and a kill down the stretch as Center finished the set with a 10-1 mark to win, 25-13.
Set 2
But instead of taking the momentum into the second set, Jasper assumed control immediately, bolting out to an 8-2 lead. Both teams struggled with unforced errors, but it was Center which began fighting back to keep Set 2 close. The Lady Riders pulled even at 13-13 and it appeared they might take control of the set and the match.
But after a pair of kills by Evans, Jasper went on a 6-0 run to take a 24-16 lead and the Lady Bulldogs claimed the 25-22 win, holding off a torrid CHS rally down the stretch.
Set 3
It was Center's turn to move out in front in the third set as the Lady Riders used an ace from Evans to grab a 9-4 lead. The Lady Bulldogs inched back to within 12-10 and then went on an 8-1 run to grab an 18-14 lead.
The Lady Riders scored four straight, using a block by Bush, an ace by Schulz and a kill by Ingram to cut the lead back to 19-17. But that would be as close as they would get as Jasper scored the final seven points of the set.
Set 4
Now with the task of working from behind, Center spotted Jasper a 6-0 lead in Set 4 before scoring seven straight points to knot the score. Rodriguez tallied two aces during the march. The teams then battled back and forth and Center held a slim 22-20 lead late in the match. Evans then recorded a kill and Berry ripped an ace for the final point for a 25-20 win.
Set 5
Now with the momentum, Center used a 4-0 run midway through the fifth and deciding set to claim the win. Ingram posted a kill and an ace to spark the run.
Then, while holding an 11-9 lead, Evans posted a kill and Bush placed the ball for a pair of points as the Lady Riders scored the final four points to secure the emotionally charged win.
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Center freshmen defeated Jasper, 25-22, 20-25, 25-18 -- The Center freshmen volleyball team split its first two sets with Jasper before coming on late to claim a seven-point win in the clincher on Tuesday night.
Erika Figaroa served 19 times with no misses and produced a pair of aces, had one kill and a block for CHS. Cheyenne Woodard had an ace, four kills and a block. Riley Mitchell had three aces, five kills and two blocks. Montana Woodard had two aces and 12 assists.