FORT WORTH – In a rematch from last year’s area round playoff bout, the No. 6 state-ranked Aledo Ladycats squared off against the Birdville Lady Hawks for an opportunity to claim the bi-district championship of Class 5A Region I Tuesday night at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center.
The Ladycats (32-7) were dominant in the opening two sets, but needed a little extra juice to get the job done in the end, as Birdville (25-9) handed Aledo its first defeat in a set since August. However, the Ladycats answered the bell emphatically with a resounding fourth-set victory, claiming the bi-district crown by a final score of 25-22, 25-16, 24-26 and 25-10.
“Going into this match, we knew we were going to have to swing big against them because of how good and scrappy they are,” Ladycats head coach Claire Gay said. “We tried to capitalize on our offense and we have some really good offensive threats, so we just tried to keep everybody involved.”
The Ladycats built an early first-set lead following that exact formula with different players contributing to the winning effort. Senior middle Haley Lowe connected on a huge kill following an overpass that gave Aledo a 13-7 advantage. Then, star junior outside hitter Alyssa Todd put down a kill that ended a 4-1 spurt from Birdville, giving the Ladycats a 15-11 cushion. After that, Todd put the ball away emphatically to end one of many long rallies throughout the match on two occasions to keep Aledo’s lead at four points.
As Birdville continued to make its push, different players stepped up for Aledo. Senior middle Kinley Elms pounded the ball to the hardcourt from the right side and senior Morgan Estevez put away the deciding kill to give Aledo a 1-0 lead in sets.
Another upperclassman up front had her own block party at the net. Impactful senior middle Ella Isbell, who recorded a game-high 10 stuffs, got the crowd on its feet with a big block that gave Aledo a 3-0 lead to open the second set. After Birdville tightened the action later in the frame, Isbell blocked consecutive Birdville attacks for points that gave Aledo the lead back for good at 11-9.
“I thought our block stepped up huge tonight and was a big turning point for our game,” Gay said. “We were really efficient there and were able to slow the ball down or score points when we needed to.”
A few points later, a block from Elms and a service ace from senior setter Ava Reding extended the lead to 15-10 and, after Birdville scored the next point, Aledo closed out the set by scoring 10 of the next 16 points.
Each time the smaller Birdville team tried to make a run, Todd seemingly always had the answer at the net Aledo needed.
“I like it because I can just look to my teammates and know that they trust me to get the kills down,” Todd said. “If I don’t get it, then I know I can look to them again to get me the ball back and put it down.”
Then, Aledo looked as if they would win comfortably in straight sets as the sixth-ranked Ladycats held a 20-12 lead, needing just five more points for their 15th consecutive straight-sets victory. Instead, the Lady Hawks rallied to take a 23-22 lead following a gutsy 11-2 run. Kills on consecutive possessions by Todd and Ali LoBaugh put Aledo ahead 24-23, but Birdville scored the final three points to make a match of it – trailing 2-1 in sets.
Although it was Aledo’s first defeat in a set since Aug. 30, the challenge was accepted and met with both optimism and resolve.
“We can look at it as something to help us come back to get the next set if we are in a situation like that going forward,” Todd said. “We know we can come back and grab a set after losing and not get down on ourselves.”
“We had a couple little lapses in the third set – we shouldn’t have had to go to four sets – but I thought we really took over in that fourth set,” Gay said. “We did what needed to be done in the fourth set even though it should have happened in the third set.”
From the opening serve of the fourth set, it was all Aledo. Todd produced two big blocks and Lowe followed with one of her own to help Aledo build a 9-5 lead. Later, Isbell put forth arguably the block of the night – an emphatic, solo, two-handed stuff – that completed a 9-1 Aledo run that put the score at 15-6. From there, Aledo continued to produce up front while the back line defenders, who were attentive and consistent the entire match – set up their offense for success to close the deal, playing as well as they did during the previous three sets. Whether it was a diving save by Ella Meador, an athletic dig from Kenrie Pruitt or a watchful eye on the service line by Logyn Denbow, the back row provided a strong platform for the offense to succeed.
“They’ve done a phenomenal job all season long for us and really keep us in a lot of matches,” Gay said of her back row players. “They’re very efficient, they listen to instruction well and they adjust well against different types of hitters and offenses. A lot of the girls out there are three-year varsity starters who have a very high volleyball IQ, and they have been preparing for these moments. They can identify distance of serves, angles of attacks – that’s their experience taking over, for sure.”
Todd starred for Aledo with a game-high 23 kills, 21 digs and three blocks. Reding and junior setter Sophie Frank distributed the ball well to their hitters, combining for 41 assists. Pruitt, who tallied a team-high 22 digs, also did her part feeding the front line players with five out-of-system assists. The setters were also impactful defensively, as Reding recorded 10 digs and Frank finished with 13.
Meador and Denbow compiled 18 and eight digs, respectively, while LoBaugh and Estevez combined for 13 digs. Elms was strong once again off the right side with 13 kills and six blocks while Lowe ended the night with eight kills and three blocks.
Now, the resilient, senior-laden Ladycats look to keep their dreams of a long postseason run alive one match at a time after a difficult preseason, a dominant district run and plenty of hard work during practices.
“It’s very important because the past two years have been amazing with them,” Todd said of the seniors. “And, we have the opportunity this year out of all years to go far in the playoffs. It’ll be special with them.”
The Ladycats marched onto the area round where they were facing off against the Burleson Lady Elks (24-15) at press time at the Arlington Athletics Center.
After achieving perfection through 12 district games, the No. 6 Aledo Ladycats entered their home court one last time before postseason play. Aledo, the District 5-5A champions who did not drop a single set in league play, hosted the Class 6A Boswell Lady Pioneers in one final tune up before their bi-district match.
For the 20th consecutive match, Aledo came out on top and did so without dropping a set, cruising past Boswell by a final score of 25-18, 25-15 and 25-19.
Star junior outside hitter Alyssa Todd led the way once more for Aledo, finishing with 19 kills, 12 digs and five aces – all team highs. Todd also finished the night with one block. Meanwhile, senior middle Kinley Elms recorded nine kills and five blocks while Ella Isbell also registered five blocks. Haley Lowe added seven kills and three blocks while Morgan Estevez tallied six kills and two blocks.
Junior setter Sophie Frank distributed 22 assists and had five digs while senior setter Ava Reding recorded 13 assists, four digs and an ace. Senior back row specialists Kenrie Pruitt and Logyn Denbow each served an ace and finished with 11 and six digs, respectively. Ella Meador also chipped in with five digs.
The Ladycats vwent on the road and faced Chisholm Trail in their final regular season District 5-5A match Tuesday, Oct. 29. While any postseason or seeding drama was not in the equation, the only thing Aledo had left to accomplish was capping off a perfect district season.
The Ladycats achieved that feat in style, sweeping the Lady Rangers by a final score of 25-14, 25-11 and 25-20.
In each of their 12 district matches, Aledo did not drop a single set. Furthermore, the Ladycats are red hot, riding a 19-game winning streak into the playoffs.
In addition to the success on the varsity level, each of Aledo’s subvarsity teams earned the same title of unbeaten district champions. The ninth-grade A team (25-13 and 25-9) and junior varsity squad (25-16 and 25-16) earned wins in straight sets.
Also, the 30-win Aledo squad has held its No. 6 spot in the Class 5A rankings since it ascended into the top-10 weeks ago.
Star junior Alyssa Todd and senior middle Kinley Elms led the charge up front with 13 kills apiece, with the former serving an ace and collecting nine digs and the latter recording two blocks. Senior setter Ava Reding starred with 23 assists, 12 digs and one ace while senior back-line anchors Kenrie Pruitt and Ella Meador tallied 17 and 15 digs, respectively.
Pruitt also served one of Aledo’s four aces. Senior middle Haley Lowe added six kills and two blocks while Ella Isbell, also a senior, led the front line defense with a game-high five blocks.
Junior setter Sophie Frank registered 10 assists and an ace, while Ali LoBaugh had four kills and two blocks. Morgan Estevez also chipped in with four kills while Logyn Denbow compiled nine digs.
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