The 3-7 Pilot Point Lady Cats and 14-4 Howe Lady Bulldogs varsity volleyball teams went toe-totoe in a match that went down to the wire, with the Lady Bulldogs escaping with the win three sets to two Tuesday night.
This was the second time the two teams have faced each other this season, but Pilot Point head volleyball coach Jessica Ledbetter said she was much happier with her team’s performance in the rematch.
“That was one of the best games I’ve seen us play all year long,” Ledbetter said. “… Our setters were making good decisions for our offense, and our defense played smart, especially against their No. 11, who was aggressive tonight. We really came together and played a great game.”
The two teams traded points in the opening set, with Pilot Point taking the slight edge, battling their way to a 14-11 lead midway through the period.
The scoring went back and forth in the first set, continuing until the Lady Bulldogs were able to squeeze their way in front to take the set 25--23.
The Lady Cats got hot in the second set, outscoring their opponent 25-13 and evening the set record at one win apiece.
The closely contested match continued into the third set, where the two teams found themselves tied 7-7 before Howe started to exploit gaps in the Pilot Point’s defense to pull away and take the set 25-20.
The two teams found the score tied 12-12 midway through the fourth set, but this time Pilot Point used the energy from their raucous home crowd to win the set 25-18.
The Lady Cats held onto the momentum at the start of the fifth and final set, building a 4-3 lead, but the Lady Bulldogs found their footing and tied the set 7-7.
The two squads traded highlight reel-worthy plays throughout the period until the final buzzer sounded with Howe on top, 15-13.
Ledbetter said the Lady Cats had an especially good week of practice and credited that and the support of the home crowd for the Lady Cats’ improved performance in the rematch against Howe.
“We worked on hitting mechanics this week, because I felt like we had too many hitting and serving errors the last time we played them,” she said. “We made adjustments there, but honestly our girls played with a lot more confidence. There’s something about being in your home gym, and that helped them be confident in what they were doing and allowed them to play with intensity and passion.”
Senior middle blocker Alliyah Smith led Pilot Point with 16 kills, followed by senior outside hitter Shannon Taylor, who had 12 kills.
Setter duo junior Darbi Smalskas and freshman Reese Chandler kept the Lady Cats’ offense rolling, combining for 41 assists.
Despite the loss, Ledbetter emphasized that the Lady Cats have a lot of positive things they can take away as they move forward.
“If they play with confidence and can come together as one unit on the court nobody can stop them,” she said. “I told them in the locker room, ‘If you keep playing like that, fighting through the adversity, no one’s going to recognize you come district, and we’re going to come out there and surprise some people.’” The Lady Cats will hit the road this weekend for the sixth annual Callisburg Classic Varsity Volleyball Tournament before returning home to face the 9-2 Collinsville Lady Pirates on Tuesday night.
