By Moses Leos III
A determined Hays Lady Rebel effort couldn’t topple the Class 5A No. 1 ranked Dripping Springs Lady Tigers Monday at Joe Graham Gym.
Dripping Springs’ ability allowed them to hold off Hays en route to a 25-20, 25-16, 25-16 straight set win.
Lady Tiger senior hitter Morgyn Greer tallied a game high 13 kills, while Madison Green scored 32 assists. Senior Autumn Rounsaville had 11 digs.
Hays High sophomore hitter Kaitlyn Krafka finished with a team high 12 kills, while junior setter Mackenzie Coates had 12 assists. Sophomore libero Ashley Slovak scored six digs.
An intense atmosphere surrounded the first set as Hays maintained stride with the Lady Tigers. The Lady Rebels rallied from a slim 8-5 deficit, tying the match at 10-10. Soon both teams swapped points, going back-and-forth.
Consistency in serve-receive, along with playing more relaxed and focused, was the message from Hays High head coach Stephanie Coates prior to the match. Mackenzie Coates said the team’s success started with adept passing.
“It always starts with serve-receive,” Mackenzie Coates said. “If we have a good pass, 90 percent of the time, we’ll put the ball down. It always starts with first contact.”
Aiding Hays’ effort was the hitting ability of Krafka and junior Hailee Morton.
“When (Hailee) goes up and she mean’s business, she’ll get that ball down,” Coates said. “I was excited for her and Kaitlyn Krafka on the outside. They did a great job.”
Defensively, the Lady Rebels worked to limit the success of Greer. Coates said the team worked to serve to Greer, forcing her to pass.
“We also changed up our blocking schemes a little, to take away her shot,” Coates said.
On the opposite end, Dripping Springs overcame a sluggish start, going on a 5-1 run to close the first set.
The Lady Tigers woke up in the second and third sets, powering past the Lady Rebels for the win.
Several elements led to the Lady Tigers’ sluggish start, according to head coach Michael Kane. One of those was a defense that he said was a “little sloppy” in the first and second sets.
Lady Tiger outside hitter Morgyn Greer said the heightened excitement of the match, along with the low ceiling in the gym, played a factor.
But the Lady Tiger offense found their rhythm and began to play in system. Greer said the team began to pick up on the lower ceiling, using it to help speed up their offense.
Getting Ashley Waggle involved in the offense, Kane said, was important in setting the tone. Waggle finished with 12 kills in the match.
On defense, the Lady Tigers focused on the Lady Rebels’ tendencies at the net. Kane said the defense made adjustments in the third set, taking away Hays’ “tips and shots they were scoring on us.”
“After the first set, we figured it out. We were terminating balls. Our defense and our serve-receive was better,” Greer said. “We definitely picked up after that first set.”
Despite the loss, Coates lauded her team’s effort against a state ranked opponent.
“Sometimes, you say when you lose you win, and when you win you lose,” Coates said. “We lost tonight, but tonight we won. As a team, we won and moved forward in what we’re trying to do.”
The Lady Rebels now prepare to head into the Fraulein Tournament in New Braunfels, where they will be matched in a pool with 6A power San Antonio Churchill.
“We hope to attack them with the same zest,” Coates said. “It will be a great battle and I’m looking forward to it.”
