Saturday, April 27, 2024
Gatesville volleyball bounced back from a loss at Lake Belton on Sept. 1 to beat Brownwood in straight sets on Sept. 5 and get back to .500 on the season.
The win against Brownwood (25-22, 25-19, 25-14) wasn’t just a bounce back on the schedule. They also rebounded from a slow start in the first two sets thanks to seniors Laura Trejo and Barrett Boyd.
After a back-and-forth start had the first set tied at 7-7, the Lady Lions ran off nine straight points to take a 16-7 lead. An unforced error by Brownwood made it 16-8 and put the ball in the hands of Trejo. By the time she was done serving, the Lady Hornets led 18-16.
The 10-0 run benefitted from four unforced errors from the Lady Lions but showed glimpses of how good this young team can be.
A block from Anna McPherson and Addison Taylor made it 16-9 before back-to-back errors made it 16-11. An ace from Trejo cut the Brownwood lead to 16-12. Then an excellent dig from Taylor Sanderson set up Barrett Boyd for a kill to make it 16-13.
Another ace from Trejo made it 16-14, and the Hornets took the lead 17-16 moments later on another ace from Trejo.
In the second set, the Lady Hornets faced another quick hole but battled back. They trailed 3-0 but reeled off 12 straight points behind the serve of Boyd and the presence of sophomore Emma Pollard.
Boyd had four aces during the 12-0 run, while Pollard had three kills and a block for a point. McGregor would get as close as 23-18 in the second set, but a block from Taylor made it 24-18. A final kill from Pollard sealed the 25-18 win.
In the third set, Boyd, Trejo, and Pollard wreaked havoc again in helping turn a 3-3 tie into a 12-5 advantage. McPherson closed the set and the match with a block.
Gatesville was scheduled to take on Georgetown Gateway on Sept. 8 in a rematch of last season’s bi-district playoff, but Gateway inadvertently double-booked the date and cancelled the game against the Lady Hornets. As of press time, Gatesville had tentatively scheduled a replacement game against Waco Meyer on Sept. 8.
They host Lampasas on Sept. 12, then travel to Burnet on Sept. 15. The non-district schedule wraps up against Marble Falls on Sept. 19.
