By Moses Leos III
On Friday night, the Hays and Lehman volleyball teams earned big wins going into their final rivalry series match on Tuesday.
Hays plowed past Schertz Clemens in four sets (25-21, 18-25, 25-13, 25-15). Sydney Paradeaux led the team with 24 kills, while Kathryn Wristen garnered 47 assists, allowing her to surpass the 1,000-assist mark this year.
Lehman defeated Seguin in five sets (15-25, 26-24, 12-25, 25-22, 15-8), earning their second district win. It marks the first time the program has won multiple district games in two years.
That set up both teams for their showdown at Bales Gym, where Hays defeated Lehman in straight sets (25-10, 25-17, 25-14), extending its win streak over the Lady Lobos to 14 straight matches. The program has not dropped a set to Lehman since 2008.
The first set saw Hays jump out to a 10-3 lead, then explode to a 15-point set win. Senior hitter Sydney Paradeaux led Hays with a game high 19 kills.
Paradeaux and the team were driven to earn a playoff berth.
“We wanted to secure a spot in playoffs,” Paradeaux said. “We wanted to play as hard as we could to secure that spot.”
The Lady Rebels were also fine-tuning their play before the start of the postseason.
Head coach Erica Walther said the team focused on fixing any weaknesses, which included some serving issues.
“We wanted to serve tougher, but not miss as many serves,” she said. “We want to stay at a high level, and work on the small things for postseason play.”
The second set saw the Lady Lobos put up a gallant fight. Lehman head coach Megan Cooper was pleased with their effort, a carryover from their gritty win over Seguin.
They also stopped playing to Hays’ strength: their hitting.
“You cannot give (Hays) free balls. Every time they got a free ball, they executed. It was like practice for them,” Cooper said. “We stopped doing that, and that helped us a great deal.”
Senior Haley Rohde felt the team was communicating better on the court.
“Our side was on fire. We were having a lot of fun,” Rohde said.
But in the end, Hays proved too much to stop. The hitting prowess of Paradeaux, mixed with the pass efficiency and strong defense helped put Hays over the top.
Both teams now prepare for the final two games of the year.
For Lehman, they take on the top two teams in 27-4A in Kerrville Tivy and Boerne Champion. It’s a chance to create chaos.
“We have a real opportunity to mess things up [in district],” Cooper said.
For Hays, they begin to prepare for Seguin and Tivy. Walther said staying focused will be the key, as they must win out to keep third in district.
But for Walther and her three seniors, their final game at home together was bittersweet.
“I think [our seniors] came through. They are strong,” Walther said. “Those girls have great character and leadership on the court.”
