Tascosa Lady Rebels stun Amarillo High nabbing share of District 3-5A lead

Crowd of students cheering and raising hands in a gym during a pep rally, with red wall padding and banners in the background. — The Tascosa student section rushed the floor to celebrate with the Lady Rebels following a thrilling four-set victory over arch-rival Amarillo High during a District 3-5A showdown at the Tascosa Activity Center on Tuesday night.

It was pure pandemonium Tuesday night at the Tascosa Activity Center as the Lady Rebels accomplished a feat they haven’t done in 16 years.

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Clicking on all cylinders in front of a raucous jam-packed crowd, Tascosa put it all together to stun arch-rival Amarillo High in four-sets 21-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-23, that led to the student section rushing the court to celebrate the massive upset.

The Lady Rebels earn their first win over Amarillo High since Oct. 12 of 2010, and were able to snap the Lady Sandies unbelievable district win streak at 74 straight games dating back to 2020. More importantly, Tascosa (18-13 overall) pulled into a first-place tie with AHS (22-9) for a share of the District 3-5A lead at 8-1 with the victory.

“It was a wild scene and this was the kind of win we needed for this program,” said second-year Tascosa head coach Carley McCracken. “I’ve been with these seniors since they were on the JV and to watch them get a win like this was amazing. We know this wasn’t the Super Bowl, but we are trying to change the culture to being contenders instead of just good enough. I think a win like this will definitely help us turn a corner.”

Volleyball player wearing black jersey with number 8 screaming in celebration as the crowded gym watches. — Tascosa’s Presley Ward had 29 digs with 17 kills for a double-double against Amarillo High on Tuesday.

This match started as business as usual for the Lady Sandies. AHS, the heavy favorite, came out with the momentum taking the first set 25-21. At that point, it felt the Lady Sandies were on their way to 75 straight district wins and another sweep. However, Tascosa turned it on in the second set and started gaining more confidence after taking the third set to go up 2-1.

Any time AHS tried to get star outside hitter going libero Emily Caviness was there to get a dig for Tascosa. Any time the Lady Sandies defense tried to spark a rally Presley Ward, Blaire Whatley and Harlan Singleton came through with a massive kill. That was the type of night it was for the Lady Rebels.

“We were balanced the entire way,” McCracken said. “Emily (Caviness) stepped up and did a great job reading Harper Vaughan. Harper is a tremendous player, but Emily was everywhere she went. Presley (Neslage) did a great job of getting the ball to our hitters. I can’t say enough about what a team win this was. This is the type of win that can get us to November. That’s what we play for and we can’t be satisfied just getting a win like this.”

Female volleyball player in a white jersey (number 2) serves the ball during a match, with a cheering crowd in white shirts in the background. — Emily Caviness of Tascosa ended the match against Amarillo High with 32 digs.

Caviness finished the match with a team-high 32 digs. Ward was on her game with a performance of a lifetime hammering down 17 kills with 29 digs to go for a double-double. Presley Neslage had a team-high 28 assists followed by Ellen Daniel’s 27, and Whatley with Singleton each added 16 kills.

Despite the loss, Dillan Ray played lights out for AHS with 44 assists and 21 digs for a double-double. Ansley Davis was all over the hardwood for 26 digs and Vaughan did have an impact thanks to 19 kills.