Ladycats open season with home win

The Aledo Ladycats volleyball team started their season Aug. 10 with a home win against Keller.

The Ladycats beat the Lady Indians in straight sets, scores 25-22, 25-21 and 25-15.

Aledo comes into the season after graduating 11 players from last years varsity team and with only four seniors. The Ladycats are also entering the Class 6A classification for the first time, but don’t have to worry about all of that until district play.

The opening set saw both teams go back and forth, neither able to get more than two points ahead until Aledo pulled away in the end to win 25-22.

The second set saw the Ladycats have their roughest stretch of the match. After Aledo took a 12-7 lead, Keller went on a 9-2 run to take the lead and momentum at 16-14. 

Aledo powered through the adversity and thanks to some great serving and net play, were able to retake control and close out the set with everything going its way.

While some teams are vulnerable to giving up a cheap third set after going up 2-0, the Ladycats made sure it was not going to happen. Early on Aledo was up 10-5 and later 19-11 as their net control really started to dominate as the Lady Indians’ will to play wilted.

The Ladycats closed out the set and match easily, with the final point being scored on a block from Lily Morris.

Kaelee Berkley and Avery Pipkins each recorded 10 kills to lead the Ladycats. Harper Harbuck led the team with 17 assists. Harbuck also led the team with two service aces as the team finished with six overall. 

On defense Morris led the team with five blocks as the team finished with 19 combined. Libero Karsyn Evans recorded a team high 42 digs and also chipped in five assists.

Aledo coach Claire Gay liked her team got the win, but with so many new faces she knows her team has a lot of work to do.

“There was great discipline on the other side of the net which exposed a lot of points of growth for us on our side,” Gay said. “I thought we did well turning the ball in transition. I thought we served really well and passed the ball well in serve-receive which allowed all of our hitters to be an option. We have a lot of room for growth, but that’s what you want at this point in the season.” Aledo is scheduled to play in its first tournament Aug.13-15 at Mansfield. The Ladycats will play at 5 p.m. Aug. 18 at home against Mansfield.