After eliminating state-ranked Weimar and then three-time defending state champion Poth, they still found themselves as underdogs against No. 3 Hallettsville in a Class 2A Region IV quarterfinal volleyball match Tuesday night.
Maybe now somebody will notice the Lady Eagles after they defeated Hallettsville 25-20, 25-23, 25-18.
The District 25-2A co-champion Lady Eagles (35-5) advanced to the Region IV tournament at San Antonio’s Northeast Blossom Athletic Center, where they will play at 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. Friday against George West, which beat Banquete on Tuesday.
“It’s exciting, I don’t even know what to say right now,” Salado coach Bree Holz-Gonzales said. “I’m excited, the girls are excited and we still aren’t getting any love from the volleyball community.”
But following Tuesday’s match, the Lady Eagles at least had the respect of Hallettsville after proving early that they were not going to give up on any point and were willing to go head-to-head against the taller, stronger Lady Brahmas.
After early jitters on Salado’s part helped the Lady Brahmas win the first two points, a kill by Hadley Joiner and an ace by Kaityln Ruth (who had four in the match) got the Lady Eagles going and they never looked back.
Senior outside hitter Danielle Hazzard and sophomore middle blocker Jenna Sebek simply began to take over with some powerful kills on offense.
And on defense, Sebek and fellow middle blocker Camryn Bintz weren’t letting much get through - and what did usually was dug by a back row led by libero Lindsey Coffey.
It wasn’t long before the Lady Eagles held a commanding 15-8 lead in the opening set, which they were able to convert to a quick 1-0 lead in the match.
“We adjusted our defense to where we knew they would hit,” Holz-Gonzales said. “Pretty much since district we just try to get a hand on the ball. It doesn’t matter if you are out of position - just reach out, try to get a hand on the ball and let your teammates help out.”
It was a combination that worked well all night but also created several long, impressive rallies. Both teams made brilliant saves, including one in which Hallettsville’s Haley Leopold crashed into her own bench to make a save on a ball, only to see the point won by Salado when Sebek finished it with a kill.
That rally came in the second set and gave Salado a 17-14 lead. But the point might have served to rally the Lady Brahmas slightly, as they took three of the next four points to tie the set at 18.
The teams exchanged points until it was 22-all, after which Salado’s offense finally took over. Back-to-back kills by Joiner made it 24-22, and after a Lady Brahmas point Hazzard finished the set with a ball that hit off the top of the net and fell in to finish another long rally.
Then it was back to the defense to seal the win for Salado. By the third set powerful Hallettsville hitters LaTreece Haynes and Leopold weren’t even bothering to try to test the block; instead, the Lady Brahmas tried to just get some soft placement points to try to get back in the match.
But when a dink try by setter Callie Herrington was met with a block by Bintz to tie the final set at 14, it became clear that Salado was going to prevail.
“It says a lot when even the best hitter can get frustrated,” Holz-Gonzales said about the effectiveness of her defense. “Jenna and Camryn blocked them two or three times and they were done. They stopped swinging and were trying to set up roll shots all around. It says a lot about our defense and a lot about our middle blockers.”
Sebek finished with a team-high nine kills and three blocks, but she wasn’t taking the credit.
“Camryn really stepped up and did really well,” she said. “I just did what I could to help.”
Now the Lady Eagles find themselves two wins away from their first state tournament appearance. And after coming out of tough 25-2A and beating three straight ranked teams, the Lady Eagles will be a tough team to beat.
“Through the playoffs we are the ones having to battle and struggle with all the right teams,” Holz-Gonzales said. “(Going through 25-2A) helped a lot. The last time we had to play Rogers to determine seeding it went to five. Even though we lost, we needed those kind of matches to help us prepare.
“Poth was ranked whatever, Hallettsville is ranked No. 3. So we are like, ‘Here we are the underdogs again.’ We like the role of underdog. The girls just seem to play much better. Let’s just go and have fun and play like we have nothing to lose. That’s the mentality we are taking.”
mhood@temple-telegram.com
