Ladycats move on to regional quarterfinals 

ARLINGTON - Trying to win a single point, much less a set or match, is a big task for opponents of the Aledo Ladycats volleyball team these days. 

The latest team to try - and to fall far short - was the Burleson Lady Elks in the Class 5A Division I area round playoffs. The Ladycats controlled the match from start to finish, leading wire-to-wire, in a 3-0 sweep at the Arlington ISD Athletics Center on Thursday, Nov. 7. 

The Ladycats (33-7) humbled the Lady Elks (24-16) 25-10, 25-12, 25-12, winning for a 22nd straight match. It was their 27th win in straight sets this season and the 15th in the past 16 matches, including all 12 of their District 5-5A matches. 

Much of their success against Burleson was connected to serving. Aledo was able to do consistently and the Lady Elks had difficulty. 

Seventeen of Aledo's points in the first set came off of their serves, including a 7-0 run to end the contest. It started with a kill by Alyssa Todd to give them the ball, with Logyn Denbow then serving six straight points, with the help of a pair of blocks and a kill by Haley Lowe. 

Meanwhile, it was the second set before Burleson scored a point off its serve. 

In all, Aledo scored 48 points via their own serves compared to seven for the Lady Elks. 

"We've been working on taking location away from their (opponents) side of the net, keeping the ball away from their best players on serve," Aledo coach Claire Gay said. "If you can take away the better hitters when you serve, it's easier for us to move the ball around." 

Denbow served 14 points in the match, including seven straight in an 8-0 run in the second set to give Aledo a 14-5 advantage. 

"Serving is a big part of our game. We struggled with it a little in district, but we've been honing our skills," said Morgan Estevez, who served the match-ending point, with a kill from Todd. 

Statistical leaders for the Ladycats included: 

Kills: Todd 12, Kinley Elms 10, Lowe 8. 

Aces: Denbow 2, Ava Reding 1, Todd 1. 

Assists: Reding 19, Sophie Frank 8, Hailey Hamilton 7. 

Digs: Ella Meador 15, Kenrie Pruitt 8, Denbow 8, Todd 7, Reding 6, Hamilton 5. 

Blocks: Lowe 7, Elms 3, Ali LoBaugh 3, Ella Isbell 2. 

Gay praised the play of her team during its winning streak, saying, "They're a wonderful group of girls. They've been together a long time and they are willing to work more for each other than themselves." 

This was the second win for the Ladycats over Burleson this season, the first being 3-0 in the Arlington Classic Invitational on Aug. 31. In that same tournament, the Ladycats fell 3-1 to their upcoming third-round opponent, Amarillo (37-6). 

The Ladycats and Sandies will meet Tuesday night, Nov. 12, at 5 p.m. in the Snyder Coliseum..