The Hays Lady Rebels’ quest for a 14th straight playoff appearance took a step forward on Friday.
Hays (16-24, 5-5) outlasted the Anderson Lady Trojans in a hard-fought victory at the Delco Center in Austin.
Friday’s win pushes Hays to within a game of Austin High for fourth in 16-4A with six matches remaining. Hays currently holds sixth place in the district standings.
The Lady Rebels host Austin High this Friday at Bales Gym.
Hays also claimed its third win in a row, dating back to a 3-0 win over Lehman on Sept. 26.
Lady Rebel sophomore Mackenzie Coates earned 11 kills in the Anderson match, while senior Taylor Britton scored ten.
Hays senior Kathryn Wristen, who leads the team with 937 assists, earned 40 in the Lady Rebels five set victory. Wristen is now 305 assists shy of her career high mark of 1,246 assists, which was set last season.
On the defensive side, Wristen and sophomore Ashley Slovak each tallied 18 digs, while Coates assisted with 11.
Anderson’s Kristina Fischer fi nished with a match-high 19 kills on Friday. Lady Trojan Ilisha D’Souza had 22 assists, while Rachel Snead had 19 digs.
Friday’s five set marathon is the team’s second five set match in district play. Hays fell to Austin High in five sets on August 9.
SCORES FROM FRIDAY’S FIVE SET GAME:
25-22, 24-26, 21-25, 25-8, 15-9
District 16-4A Volleyball (top four make playoffs)
*Stats gathered from MaxPreps
#2 Westlake (27-4, 9-0)
Lake Travis (22-13, 8-2)
Bowie (27-11, 7-3)
Austin (17-13, 6-4)
Anderson (13-15, 5-4)
Hays (16-24, 5-5)
Akins (4-13, 1-8)
Del Valle (4-13, 1-8)
Lehman (0-13, 0-8