By Moses Leos III
After a year hiatus, the Hays Lady Rebel volleyball team made its return to the postseason Monday.
A speedy and efficient Round Rock Dragon squad, however, brought Hays’ playoff run to an end as the Rebels were swept 25-14, 25-22, 25-17 at Bales Gym.
But for senior Chloe Giberson, the hard work down the stretch of the season to reach the playoffs was evident.
“Every practice, we brought each other up. We’ve gotten over a lot of the bumps in the road we had,” Giberson said. “Our whole team is young. So we put that behind us and worked with each other and our strengths and weaknesses.”
Hays High junior Hailee Morton led the way with a team high ten kills in the match. Junior Mackenzie Coates finished with 15 assists, while sophomore Kaitlyn Krafka had 12 digs.
Round Rock’s Emily Keilen scored a game high 12 kills, while Kiera Granado had 22 assists.
Hays worked to defend against a speedy Lady Dragon offense. Morton said Round Rock was able to run “basically all fast stuff” on offense.
“They were able to do that because their passes were on,” Morton said. “If we can do that, we can have a really fast offense too.”
Hays kept pace with Round Rock in the first set. The Lady Dragons held a 9-7 lead before widening the gap to 20-12. The Lady Dragons then went on a 5-2 run to close the first set.
Giberson said passing was one issue that Hays worked to rectify in the first set. She said the team “got a little frantic” and that they weren’t talking enough on the court.
Morton said the team had good energy to start, but couldn’t hold on.
“We let off since we were doing okay,” Morton said. “We let them get too many points, and we couldn’t pick ourselves back up.”
Hays responded by going toe-to-toe with the Lady Dragons in the second set. The Lady Rebels eventually captured a 14-12 lead in the set.
Hays head coach Stephanie Coates said the team was able to shake off first set nerves and settle down. That led to better ball control on the court.
“We made some good first contacts on some big swings by Round Rock to keep the ball in play,” Coates said. “I think our setters did a good job of getting to the ball and putting up balls. Our hitters just executed.”
Despite a 6-1 Round Rock run, Hays fought back and tied the score at 21-21 on a block from middle blocker Kacie Hall.
But a 4-1 Lady Dragon run gave Round Rock a 2-0 match edge.
The Lady Rebels attempted to keep pace in the third frame by tying the score 8-8. But Round Rock outscored Hays 14-9 to end the match.
Coates said the Lady Rebels were able to serve well, which she said was a key component against a team such a Round Rock.
“Our kids … they served well tonight. I’d like to see us serve a little tougher on some balls,” she said. “We missed a few shots here and there when it came to putting the ball where we want to.”
Despite the loss, Giberson said the team, which is slated to return 12 players, will be “more ready” next season.
For Morton, reaching the playoffs was the first of several goals the team hopes to meet next year.
“Our goal next year is to go farther in the playoffs and to the state tournament and not just the first round,” Morton said. “At least come out with a district championship.”
