District 4-4A
Canyon cruises past Randall
Canyon made an early district statement with a stellar showing during a commanding 25-16, 25-7, 25-23, sweep of arch-rival Randall in a District 4-4A showdown at the Joe Lombard Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
It’s the Lady Eagles first win over the Lady Raiders for this group of Canyon seniors over the last four years.
“This is a huge win for us,” Canyon head coach Sara Morath said. “Three of these players were on varsity as freshmen. The rest of these seniors were on varsity as sophomores. It was a rough road when they were younger, so seeing that hard work paying off is rewarding. I know the work they put in the gym, but to see them being rewarded is huge in building our confidence.”
Canyon stays atop the 4-4A standings at 4-0 while improving to 17-10 overall. Randall (18-12) suffers its first district loss dropping to 3-1.
The Lady Eagles soared out of the gates jumping all over the Lady Raiders in the first set going up 13-5 on the way to a 25-16 first-set victory.
The second set was domination by Canyon. The Lady Eagles were clicking on all cylinders leading as much as 16-4 before putting the set away at 25-7.
“Getting out fast was part of the game-plan,” Morath said. “Volleyball is a game of momentum. We wanted to get a fast start early and we did exactly what we talked about for a week. Throughout district and post district the goal is to jump out fast and respond quickly.”
“It was a complete team victory,” Morath said. “We did all the little things right. We have been working on our block for a while. Our libero Landri Jay can read the ball so well and that helps our block and having her behind it. With the experience it’s clicking right now.”
Sophomore Laney Jones played a key role on the offense side for Canyon knocking down a team-high 13 kills. Alainna Bellino dished out 18 assists with London Gibson adding 13. Landri Jay led the back row with 18 digs and Carli McKinley led a strong serving night with four aces.
Randall’s Brooke Henderson ended the game with 12 digs. Teammate Sindey Soria had 18 assists with five digs of her own.
West Plains stays unbeaten in 4-4A
West Plains stayed right with Canyon for a share of the District 4-4A lead with a sweep of Perryton on the road Tuesday night, 25-13, 25-18, 25-10.
The Lady Wolves are tied with Canyon at 4-0 in league play and are now 19-10 on the year. Perryton (6-19) falls to 0-4 in district.
Aaniyah Kitchens put together a superb outing with 10 kills and four aces. CC Murillo had 25 assists with eight digs and Piper Patterson tallied 16 kills.
Dumas knocks off Borger
Dumas was able to even up its district record with a four-set victory at Borger, 23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-23, on Tuesday evening.
Rylee Schacher did it all for the Demonettes in a double-double effort going for 25 digs, 12 kills and added 8.5 blocks. Sophie Clements and Gabi Alvarez were also key. Clements finished with 20 assists and 6.5 blocks while Alvarez added out 17 assists and served up four aces.
Dumas (17-16) is now 2-2 in District 4-4A. Borger (10-15) is still looking for its first league win at 0-4.
Kooper Buchanan was strong for the Lady Bulldogs with 13 kills and five digs.
Hereford sweeps Pampa
Following a tough five-set loss at home to West Plains last Saturday, Hereford was able to regroup and get a 25-16, 25-20, 25-21, sweep at Pampa on Tuesday night.
The victory puts Hereford (19-14) at 2-2 in District 4-4A. The loss drops Pampa (15-12) to 1-3 in district.
London Baker continues to have a tremendous year for the Lady Whitefaces. Baker hurt the Lady Harvesters all over the floor with 12 assists to go with 11 kills for a double-double. Teammate Madi Madrigal also registered a double-double with 14 assists and 11 digs.
Pampa’s Maecie Hawthorne was one dig shy of a triple-double going for 13 assists, 11 kills and nine digs.
District 3-5A
Tascosa tames Palo Duro
Tascosa made quick work of crosstown rival Palo Duro thanks to a 25-7, 25-6, 25-15 victory during a District 3-5A match on Tuesday.
Bennet Berryman led the back row with 12 digs with Blake Graham following getting seven. Addison Merrell did her part on offense with 12 assists and Molly Kulp powered home six kills.
Despite the loss, Palo Duro’s Trinady Davis had nine digs, three assists and two aces.
Tascosa (24-8) stays a game back of first place in District 3-5A at 6-1. The Lady Dons (10-16) fall to 0-7 in the league.
Caprock earns a big win over Plainview
The Caprock Lady Longhorns went on the road to Plainview and left with a huge District 3-5A win by getting a sweep of the Lady Bulldogs, 25-23, 25-21, 28-26, on Tuesday night.
The victory puts Caprock (15-13) at 3-4 in district. Plainview (11-14) drops to 1-6.
Maria Bastardo was excellent on defense for the Lady Longhorns hitting the floor for 32 digs. Savina Cabella also did her job with 22 digs. Grace Morales had 11 assists with five kills and five digs while teammate Kendall Wilson led the team with 10 kills chipping in four blocks and four digs.
In the other 3-5A games on Tuesday, Lubbock-Cooper rolled over Lubbock Monterey, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21. Kambel Johnson had 16 kills and former Amarillo High Lady Sandie, Bird Moffitt, tallied 11 digs. The Lady Pirates (22-10) are tied for second in the league at 6-1. Monterey (16-16) is 3-4 in district.
Lubbock Coronado downed Lubbock High with a 25-11, 23-25, 25-14, 25-8, four-set win. Coronado (18-14) improves to 5-2 in District 3-5A. LHS (12-19) moves to 1-6.
TAPPS District 1-2A
San Jacinto Christian sweeps Ascension Academy
It’s been a strong start to the season for San Jacinto Christian Academy and that carried on Tuesday night as the Lady Patriots kept a stronghold on first place in TAPPS District 1-2A with a sound sweep of Ascension Academy, 25-12, 25-16, 25-11, at home Tuesday.
Alayna Daniel highlighted the offense with a team-best 12 kills and added six digs. Channing Starr was strong at the net with four blocks while Blayne Robison served up five aces. Harlie Brabham ran the offense with 13 assists.
SJCA (26-3) is atop the district standings at 5-0. Ascension (0-8) is still seeking its first league win at 0-5.
The other local district match saw Holy Cross Catholic Academy fall to Lubbock Kingdom Prep, 25-14, 25-9, 25-15. The Lady Mustangs (14-10) drop to 2-3 in district. Kingdom Prep (14-10) pushes its league mark to 3-2.
District 1-1A
Kelton stuns Wildorado
In one of the more surprising outcomes Tuesday, the Kelton Lady Lions stunned last year’s District 1-1A champions, Wildorado, with a hard-fought 25-20, 28-26, 28-26, sweep at home.
The Lady Lions were led by Audree Nelson’s 15 digs. Teammate Neely Davis chipped in 17 assists and McKinzie McManus totaled seven kills with four blocks.
Kelton (6-4) is now 1-0 after the district opener. Wildorado, which didn’t lose a district match all of last year, falls to 3-11 overall and 0-1 in the district.
In two other District 1-1A openers Tuesday, Fort Elliott defeated Miami in four-sets, 25-22, 25-22, 19-25, 25-17. The Lady Cougars (9-6) are off to a 1-0 start in district. The Lady Warriors (9-12) drop to 0-1.
Playing in the program’s first ever district game since starting volleyball three years ago, Shamrock earned a sweep against Darrouzett, 25-6, 25-8, 25-6. The Lady Irish move to 1-0 in District 1-1A and 12-8 overall. The Lady Longhorns (0-3) fall to 0-1 in the league.
Non-district quick hits
- Bushland hosted Lubbock-Cooper Liberty in a matchup of two really strong volleyball programs that have expectations of deep playoff runs on Tuesday night. In the end, it was the Lady Falcons coming away with a big four-set win taking down the Lady Patriots, 25-20, 18-25, 25-12, 25-14. The Lady Falcons winning ways continue moving to 31-4 overall. LillyAnn Shannon paced Bushland with 13 kills. Avery Ramos did what she does best nabbing 29 digs and Mackenzie Sims registered a double-double with 28 assists and 10 digs.
- With an open date in the district schedule, Amarillo High stepped out of league play to get a sweep over Dalhart at home, 25-10, 25-8, 25-9. The Lady Sandies (26-6) saw Sienna Cavalier knock down 16 kills and Bennett Rea dish out 27 assists. AHS will host Lubbock-Cooper and former Lady Sandie head coach Mike Moffitt on Friday night.
- West Texas High stays hot knocking off Memphis at home on Tuesday, 25-7, 25-10, 25-14. The Lady Comanches (18-8) had Addi Lindley lead the team with 17 assists and four aces. Chloe Jett had six kills and teammate Dixie Riswig served up five aces.
- Highland Park found its way back into the win column with a 25-15, 25-11, 25-16, sweep against Dimmitt. Bria Delgado did a great job on the back row with 15 digs. Ariana Harton went for nine assists and five aces and Jade Flores knocked down eight kills.
- It was a long night of volleyball for the Vega Lady Longhorns. Playing two five-set matches, Vega fell to Friona, 25-22, 19-25, 25-8, 27-29, 12-15, but then bounced back to defeat Portales, N.M., 27-25, 26-24, 23-25, 19-25, 15-12. Jaz Martinez led Vega combining for 48 kills with 46 digs. Teammate Raelyn Calhoun totaled 64 assists. The Lady Longhorns are now 24-5 on the season.
- Sanford-Fritch soared past Amarillo Accelerate in a three-set sweep 25-17, 25-19, 25-14. Kinley Roberts finished with 10 kills in the victory. The Lady Eagles improve to 22-4 on the year.
