VOLLEYBALL: No. 2 Ladycats prevail in straight sets

The No. 2 Aledo Ladycats finished a brilliant stretch of preseason play and followed that up with a resounding win to open district play Tuesday night against Azle. On Friday night, the Ladycats defended their home court successfully for the second match in a row. Aledo faced stiff competition in the second set but ultimately tamed the Brewer Lady Bears in straight sets. The Ladycats earned the victory by a final score of 25-7, 25-21 and 25-17.

Standout junior Kaelee Berkley started the first set off with three straight kills and her contagious energy fueled a 6-1 lead that forced a Brewer timeout call after senior middle Evie Rivera blocked a shot for a point. Then, middles Karsynn Trott and Lily Lufkin got in on the action at the net with multiple kills apiece through a long stretch of the first set that saw Aledo’s lead balloon to 16-7. Brewer’s second timeout call could not stop the bleeding this time, either, as Alyssa Todd produced a powerful back row kill that ended a long rally. Senior setter Sophie Frank produced two aces down the stretch, including on the clinching point that capped Aledo’s closing 12-0 run.

The Ladycats faced stiffer competition in the second set, holding a slim lead through most of the action. Frank and Kailey Hamilton went to Todd and Trott early and often through the second second, and the defensive presence up front added to the cause as Aledo took an 11-8 lead after a block by Lufkin. Then, Todd hammered back-to-back kills for a 13-8 lead that forced a Brewer timeout call. The Ladycats’ lead grew as large as 17-9 following kills by Todd and Lufkin and an ace from Hamilton. Despite that, Brewer closed to within 17-13 after putting together a 4-0 run of its own. Aledo, though, stayed connected and held the Lady Bears at bay for the tight win. After that, Aledo escaped from the close competition and was able to pull away later in the frame to complete the sweep.

Todd led the way up front with 19 kills to go with 12 digs and two aces. Berkley shined as well for Aledo with 13 kills, 11 digs, and one ace. Trott impressed with nine kills and a block while Lufkin added five kills and a block. Frank had 27 assists, 14 digs, and two aces while Hamilton registered 12 assists and an ace. Senior libero Karsyn Evans anchored the back line with a team-high 20 digs while Rivard had a kill and a block.

The Ladycats completed a program sweep amongst the sub varsity teams. The 9th grade B team swept Brewer (25-8, 25-12), the Freshman A team won 25-7, 25-9, and the JV squad earned the sweep 25-7, 25-10.

The Ladycats are home for two matches next week, both at 6 p.m. They will face Saginaw on Tuesday, Sept. 23 and have homecoming on Friday, Sept. 26 against Keller Fossil Ridge.