BY Kyle Lehnick

In a cross-town matchup, the Hays Rebel volleyball squad defeated the Lehman Lady Lobos in straight sets (25-8, 25-13, 25-10) Tuesday at Hays High.

Hays came into the game with two consecutive district victories while Lehman has struggled after losses to district title contenders Lake Travis and Westlake.

 The same trend continued for both teams as Hays took care of business on its home court.  The match was also both teams’ final regular season game. 

Lehman had a strong start in the first set. Lady Lobo sophomore Kaylee Wipff helped her team with impressive returns. Hays had different plans for Wipff’s volleys, and quickly pulled ahead to an 11-4 lead. The tides failed to turn for Lehman and the set closed at 25-8. 

The Rebels didn’t let off the gas in the second set, pulling ahead to a 19-8 lead. Lehman sophomore Natalie Herrera made some saves, helping the Lobos attempt a comeback and closing the gap to 21-13. But Hays senior Chloe Giberson ran away with the set after three consecutive points from the serve. 

The third set was dominated by Hays, which only gave up points to its rivals via mistakes on its side of the net. Eight of Lehman’s ten points in the set were due to Rebel mishaps. 

The Rebels had more than enough juice to close out the victory and complete the season sweep against Lehman

Hays advances into postseason play where its is slated to play Round Rock in the bidistrict round. Time, date and location for the match is to be determined. 

Lehman finishes the district schedule with an 0-16 mark.