Lady Lions stack up wins as District looms

By LPR Staff

Editor/POST-REGISTER

As evidence of a growing and advancing program, the Lady Lions varsity volleyball team has gained more momentum in the early season than in previous years, picking up key wins and a big boost in the Wimberley TexFest Volleyball tournament.

Last weekend, the Lady Lions traveled to Wimberley for one

of the largest and most competitive volleyball tournaments in Central Texas. On the way to their second-place, silver bracket finish (effectively, fourth place overall in the tournament), the Lady Lions mowed over Harper, Hardin and Quinlan Ford High Schools, falling to Geneva, and twice to Marion.

They returned to the Lion’s Den on Monday night and quickly dispatched the Gonzales Apaches in three brutal matches.

In the first match of the tournament, the Lady Lions fell in three to Marion, (21-25), (25-18) and (25-16).

Macy Riddle was the offensive leader for the Lady Lions, serving up two aces and six kills in the match. She also logged eight blocks. Madison Estrada was strong on the front line, as well, with six kills and an ace. Raven Smith also logged six kills on the match, while Bethany Visage had four, Laurel Eeds and Abbe Rougeou had two each and Sydney Johnson had one.

Johnson had 10 digs and 21 assists, while Cristal Trejo picked up eight digs.

In the second match of the day, the Lady Lions dropped Quinlan Ford in two, (25-9) and (25-2).

Estrada served four aces and had three kills and two blocks at the net. Ileana Gonzales served three aces, while Rougeou and Johnson had two each, and Xavia Thompson contributed one.

Riddle logged six kills, while Johnson, Rougeou, Visage, Thompson, and Erin Hess had one each.

Riding the momentum but showing signs of fatigue, the Lady Lions fell in three to Boerne Geneva (26-28), (25-20) and (25-19). The team fought for every point in what wound up a grueling three-set match.

Johnson was on top of the serving game, logging two aces, a kill and 21 assists. Riddle was strong at the net, with 13 kills and ace on the match. Raven Smith had five kills, while Eeds put in four, and Estrada, three. Estrada and Visage also contributed one kill each.

Rested and ready to go on Saturday morning, the Lady Lions returned to the court to take down Hardin in two, (25-18) and (25-14).

Gonzales served up five aces, with Johnson, Riddle and Marissa Rios each having one. Riddle was the leader on the front line again, with 11 kills, followed by Estrada’s three and Eeds’ two. Gonzales, Visage and Hess each put down one.

Johnson had 13 assists and five digs, while Trejo pulled in five digs, as well.

Picking up steam, the Lady Lions destroyed Harden (25-21) and (25-8).

Estrada hit serve after serve, logging six aces in the match, as Johnson trailed just behind her with four. Riddle shared the glory at the net, logging eight kills, while Raven Smith hit five. Visage had two kills of her own, and Estrada, Hess and Thompson had one each. Johnson had 10 assists and four digs.

In the Silver Bracket Championship game, the Lady Lions had their second shot at Marion, but were outgunned in a two-set match, (18-25) and (25-27).

Riddle had two of the Lady Lions’ only three aces on the competition, while Gonzales had the other. Riddle also had nine kills, and Johnson had 11 assists.

Riding high on their strong performance at Wimberley, the Lady Lions returned to the Den on Monday evening and made short work of the Gonzales Apaches, taking them down (25-6), (25-10) and (25-18).

Estrada picked up seven aces in an impressive serving streak, and added three kills to her growing season total. Riddle beefed up her numbers as well, with 11 kills and two aces. Gonzales and Hess served up two aces each, while Eeds and Marissa Rios each had one.

Visage put down four kills, and Eeds had three. Johnson added two, while Rougeou and Raven Smith added one each. Johnson had 14 assists and six digs on the night, while Rios also picked up six digs. Trejo and Smith had four each, and Estrada had two.

The Lady Lions will be traveling for the next two weeks, returning to regular season play as they face the Floresville Tigers on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2015, in a District 27-5A matchup.