Back to the Final Four

The No. 1 Aledo Ladycats were driven by the agonizing sting of a 15-13 loss in the fifth set of last year’s state semifinal matchup against McKinney North High School. That defeat drove this year’s Ladycat squad in a big way in terms of the force and efficiency they’ve played along with the motivations and goals they set for themselves.

“This is what we worked for all year,” Aledo star junior Kaelee Berkley said. “We know what it felt like last year to be at state, and we wanted to be back because it’s a dream come true for all of us. Like Alyssa said, not many people get this opportunity, so we’re glad to be one of those teams.”

Aledo accomplished one of their biggest goals of the season with a return to the state tournament, and they clinched it inside of the Arlington ISD Athletics Center – their postseason home away from home – Tuesday night against the No. 7 Birdville Lady Hawks.

Aledo played a crisp, well-executed match from the start following a four-set slugfest in the previous round against a powerful Amarillo squad. In the end, Aledo put together quality offense, showcased organized and sharp defense and won seemingly all the big points en route to a sweep for the Region I crown by a final score of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-21.

“It feels amazing, obviously, because it’s a rare opportunity to get to go to state,” Ladycats star senior Alyssa Todd said. “Doing it two years in a row is just a really great experience.”

“To go back to back to the state tournament is a huge accomplishment for these girls,” Ladycats head coach Claire Gay said. “I think they were very hungry from the beginning and they did all of this as a team. At the end of the day, their work ethic from start to finish, starting in July or August, to now, it’s what’s gotten them here at this point.”

 

The match

Aledo was able to nose ahead in the early portion of the opening set as a service ace from senior Kenley Hamilton gave the Ladycats a 9-6 advantage. Senior middle Karsyn Trott nursed the lead with a kill that put the score at 12-9, but Birdville eventually used a 3-0 run to tie the score at 14-14. Despite that, Aledo dug its heels in and pushed ahead once more. A tip and a block by senior middle Lily Lufkin sandwiched around a Birdville hitting error for an 18-15 lead, and the 6-foot-2 middle provided another kill and block on consecutive points to stretch the advantage to 20-15. The middle of the net remained active down the stretch as Trott put away the final three kills for Aledo to clinch the opening set.

“Birdville is a very well-rounded team. They had pieces kind of all over the court, and their three best hitters were in a big triangle, so we had to capitalize and recognize where they were in their lineups,” Gay said. “We tried to hit around them and set away from them to take away some of their angles that we could. They did a good job of tooling the block and we had to adjust on that, but ultimately I thought we served fairly decently when we weren’t missing in the second set, and we really improved on that in the third set.”

In the second set, the Ladycats came out of the gates red hot with an opening 5-1 lead following an ace from Berkley and a kill by Todd. Out of the Birdville timeout, Aledo’s lead continued to grow. Schneider terminated a ball from the outside for an 11-6 lead and Kenley Hamilton’s second ace pushed the margin to 14-8 a few points later. Then, Berkley hammered home a powerful kill on the next point that forced Birdville to use its second timeout.

Senior setters Sophie Frank and Kailey Hamilton continued to distribute the ball well to their plethora of hitters while they also assisted Todd, Berkley, junior libero Karsyn Evans and Kenley Hamilton with one of their best performances collectively out of the back row. Even when Evans and Hamilton were bumpsetting their attackers, Aledo operated comfortably out of system in tandem with their strong defensive prowess.

“That’s the difference we’ve seen a little bit into the playoffs is that teams are rallying against us and making us earn our points,” Gay said. “We’ve worked really hard the last couple days of getting into position quickly because we tend to get caught roaming around a little bit, and I thought they did a good job doing that. It’s a true testament to what this team was eager to do from the beginning, and it took everybody to get here. We hit some injuries along the way, but before those injuries, kids had big roles and then some of those roles changed – I think everyone’s handled that really well.”

Aledo handled things well in the decisive third set even though they started out trailing 6-3. A Kailey Hamilton ace and a massive kill from Todd tied the score at 6-all. Aledo eventually took a 12-9 advantage following back-to-back kills from Todd and a Birdville hitting error. From there, Aledo got into a good offensive groove as the lead ballooned to 18-12 following a Berkley ace. Kills by Trott and Patrick kept Birdville at bay down the stretch, and Todd tooled the block for a 21-16 lead. Berkley killed off high hands a few points later for match point at 24-19, but Birdville nabbed the next two points to tighten the action. On the next possession, though, Hamilton snuck a dump set over the net for the clinching point for Aledo’s hard-earned return to the state tournament.

“It’s just a dream come true and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way,” said Berkley, who missed all of last season to a torn ACL. “I can’t thank the coaching staff enough for giving me this opportunity, and let’s go win it. We’re ready to get our get-back if it’s McKinney North, and we’re ready to beat Highland Park again if it’s them.”

“We’re ready no matter who it is,” Todd said. “We’re ready to just lock in and beat whoever it is to get to go to the championship.”

While the job is not done, the Ladycats are eager for the next chapter of this postseason journey, and the journey has been arduous but highly rewarding. Even though revenge against McKinney North will not be on this year’s menu, Aledo will march in to face another quality opponent in Highland Park with a spot in the Class 5A Division I state championship game on the line.

“Every day in practice, it takes every person giving 110 percent and pushing each other. Like I’ve said, competition breeds champions,” Gay said. “If you can compete in the gym every single day, you’re going to compete in a match. I’m extremely proud of this team for getting here. I’m so thankful that they’ve worked hard every single day and that we get another day to practice. It’s a lot of work and it’s a grind every single day, so we just have to keep our headspace in the right place and rely on each other as a team. It’s about the teamwork that they put in and then have instilled in one another from the start to now.”

Todd led the way with team highs of 13 kills and 17 digs while Berkley totaled nine kills, 10 digs and two aces.

The back row was stellar and in position the entire night against a Birdville offense with plenty of versatility and sharp angles in their repertoire. Evans was stalwart with 15 digs, Kailey Hamilton had 12 digs, Kenley Hamilton added 10 and Frank finished with eight. Additionally, Kailey Hamilton had 11 assists and an ace while Frank finished with 19 assists. Kenley Hamilton added two aces while Evans was an excellent ballhandler, providing seven out-of-system assists.

On the front line, senior middle Karsyn Trott was big-time with nine kills while Payton Patrick shined with five kills. Senior middle Lily Lufkin added three kills and three blocks while sophomore Brynlee Schneider recorded two kills and two blocks.

The Ladycats (41-3, 12-0) will face off against No. 3 Highland Park (41-8, 14-0) in the state semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Prosper-Rockhill High School. The Ladycats defeated Highland Park in five sets on the road earlier this season. The Lady Scots defeated defending state champion McKinney North in straight sets by a final score of 27-25, 25-17 and 26-24 to win Region II.