The Aledo Ladycats moved to 17-4 on Tuesday, Aug. 25, with a sweep of the Joshua Lady Owls in three sets (25-23, 25-18, 25-12.)
The first set saw lots of back-and-forth action, featuring a total of nine lead changes. After going up 21-20, however, the Ladycats never looked back.
Aledo jumped out to an early lead in the second set, not relinquishing it until the Lady Owls tied it at 13 and took their first lead of the set afterward. Aledo eventually reclaimed the lead, 16-15, and went on a 9-3 run to end the set with its second win.
The third set was a massive shift from the competitiveness of the first two. The Ladycats raced to an 8-1 lead right out of the gate, eventually increasing it to 13 points twice. Early momentum allowed for Aledo to complete the sweep with ease.
Outside hitter Kaelee Berkley led the Ladycats in kills with 14, while setter Harper Harbuck led the team in assists (18) and aces (3). Libero Karsyn Evans finished with a team-leading 31 digs. The Ladycats combined for 16 blocks.
Head coach Claire Gay praised the overall efforts of the team, offensively and defensively.
“I think that was such a collective win for our team,” Gay said. “It took everyone offensively to be involved. I thought our defense played extremely well. Ultimately, it took everybody and everyone stepped up. When one person wasn’t getting the job done, another one would, and the roles would just reverse. I was proud of them for never getting down on themselves and just working together to score points.”
Gay also spotlighted the efforts of individual players who were instrumental in the Ladycats’ win.
“I think Karsyn Evans did a fantastic job at the service line. She really felt a lot of pressure finding a certain location on the court, keeping their offense pretty one dimensional. I thought that our setters did a good job at spreading the ball around. I think at the end of the day, defense, too, was crucial to the win.”
The Ladycats will compete in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD Showcase tournament from Friday, Aug. 28, to Saturday, Aug. 29.
The Aledo Ladycats bounced back from some tough losses in pool play to win the Pflugerville volleyball tournament’s Silver Bracket Aug. 20-22.
The Ladycats started off the tournament with two match wins against McNeil and Austin Bowie, and a match loss to Mansfield Lake Ridge. Outside hitter Kaelee Berkley totaled 27 kills combined for all three matchups, while setter Harper Harbuck had a combined 37 assists. Harbuck also led the Ladycats in combined aces with 4. Libero Karsyn Evans finished with a total of 37 digs combined for each matchup. As a team, the Ladycats combined for 26 blocks.
The Ladycats defeated McNeil in two sets with scores of 25-11 and 25-10. The Ladycats also defeated Austin Bowie in three sets, with scores of 25-17 and 25-18 on the winning end. However, they dropped the third match to Mansfield Lake Ridge, losing in two sets.
Day 2 of tournament play saw the Ladycats win one of their three matches of the day. They defeated Hays Johnson in three sets with winning scores of 25-21 and 25-16, but dropped a three-set match to A&M Consolidated and a two-set match to Duncanville. Berkley once again led the Ladycats in total kills with 20, while Harbuck led in total aces and assists, combining for 4 and 39, respectively. Evans combined for a total of 63 digs combined for all 3 matches. Team-wise, the Ladycats combined for 15 blocks.
The final day of tournament play was the Ladycats’ best day, with a two-set win over Hendrickson, a three-set semifinal win over Tomball Memorial capped by a dominant 25-9 final set to take the match, and the official silver-clinching win over Hays Johnson in two sets.
The Ladycats combined for a total of 75 kills, 16 aces, 73 assists, 152 digs, and 22 blocks on day three. Berkeley received All-Tournament honors for her individual performance throughout the weekend.
The JV Ladycats also had a stellar performance, winning Haltom’s varsity-level tournament outright. Sophomore setter Channing Green won All-Tournament honors, and junior opposite hitter Caroline Garrett received the Buff Tough Award.
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