The Lehman High volleyball team came back from a 19-9 first-set deficit to go on to sweep Akins 25-23, 25-19, 25-19 in front of a raucous home crowd last Thursday night. Lehman’s sub-varsity teams also all beat the Eagles. (Photo by Cindy Slovak-Barton)
by JASON GORDON
The Lehman High volleyball team may not have had a lot of varsity experience coming into the season, but the Lady Lobos are certainly learning quickly.
After a rally from two sets down earlier in the week ultimately led to a five-set loss to Crockett, the Lady Lobos found themselves facing another big deficit in set one of their match against Class 5A Akins at home Thursday night.
Trailing 19-9, an eternity in high school’s rally-scoring format, Lehman didn’t back down.
A furious rally led to a 25-23 win in set number one and the Lady Lobos went on to sweep Akins with 25-19 wins in both sets two and three.
“We had a great match on Thursday, with a great home crowd behind us,” said Lehman head coach Megan Cooper said. “We had talked about how to close out a match after our match with Crockett Monday night, and the girls did just that. We were down 19-9 in the first set, but when we gained momentum we never looked back.”
Cooper said the fact that her team took advantage of the opportunities that Akins gave them was key to the win. The Lady Lobos also never let up when they had a chance to score.
“We capitalized on their errors, served aggressively and limited our errors,” Cooper said. “This match has built our confidence for future matches, for sure. Another thing I really liked is that everyone on varsity saw playing time and contributed to the win.”
Against Akins, Aleeya Eskridge had 11 assists and nine digs to lead the Lady Lobos. Heidi Muñoz had four kills and three aces, and Ofelia Negrete added five digs for Lehman.
Lehman is back in action at home against Regents on Tuesday. Varsity is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. The Lady Lobos will then head across Interstate-35 to play in the Hays Rebel Bash tournament, beginning Thursday, Sept. 6. See video of the match online at www.haysfreepress.com.
