The 30-9 Tioga Lady Bulldogs secured their 30th win of the season with a home win over the 13-18 Tom Bean Lady Cats, three sets to none, Tuesday night.
The Lady Bulldogs bounced back from a Oct. 2 loss against Lindsay Lady Knights, controlling the contest against the Lady Cats from the opening serve and blitzing their opponent to earn their fourth victory in district play.
“We played well, [and] I’m very proud that we were able to get back into the win column,” Tioga head volleyball coach Trevin Robinson said. “Hopefully, we can continue this run.”
Tioga hit the hardwood firing on all cylinders, taking the match’s opening set 25-14.
The Lady Bulldogs continued to overwhelm the Lady Cats in the second and third sets, outscoring them 50-36 over the contest’s final two sets.
Outside hitter Kyndall Whitley led Tioga with 17 kills, followed by middle blocker Kennedy Slay, who added 13 kills.
Slay led the Lady Bulldogs’ defense with 13 digs, followed by setter Sadie Bates, who had 10 digs, and Whitely, who had 9 digs.
Bates and the other half of Tioga’s setter duo, Ella Norwood, orchestrated the offense effectively, combining for 28 assists on the night.
“The girls have a lot of grit and love to compete,” Robinson said. “We had some injuries, and I am very proud of how they have rallied around each other and competed every night despite who is on the court.”
Now sitting at 4-1 in district play, the Lady Bulldogs find themselves sitting in second place in the standings behind Lindsay and ranked No. 15 by the Texas Girls Coaches Association 2A Division I, and Robinson emphasized that the team is still searching for ways to continue getting better.
“They’re still hungry,” he said. “They just hit 30 wins last night and every day at practice we like to compete as if we haven’t earned anything. We want to continue improving in all aspects of the game and be the most complete team we can be.”
The Lady Bulldogs look for their 31st win on the road in a matchup with 9-19 Sam Rayburn Lady Rebels at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
