The Hays volleyball team finished off the first half of the District 27-4A season strong with a four-game win over state-ranked Alamo Heights at Bales Gym Friday night. (Photo by Cyndy Slovak-Barton))
The Hays volleyball team steamrolling like head coach Erica Walther always thought they could.
After two early losses to begin the District 27-4A season, the Lady Rebels beat state-ranked Alamo Heights Friday and are now tied for second place in league action.
After dropping game one at Bales Gym, the Lady Rebs finished off Alamo Heights in four games, 19-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-51.
Hays improved to 23-15 overall and 4-2 in 27-4A as the first half of district action came to an end. The Lady Rebels are tied with Alamo Heights and Smithson Valley for second place behind Canyon, which has a 6-0 mark in 27-4A.
“This was a huge win for us,” Hays middle blocker Emily Clark said. “It will give us the motivation we need to head into the second half of district play. It was a great way to finish the first round.”
Fellow senior Kelsea Sadler said the Lady Rebs challenged themselves heading into the match against Alamo Heights.
“We realized we needed to step up our game in order to place well in district,” Sadler said. “This win really boosted our confidence.”
Sydney Paradeaux and Kaylea Beck led Hays’ attack against Alamo Heights with 20 and 19 kills respectively.
Beck was also on the mark defensively, as she had 18 digs. Hannah Ramsey had 44 assists and Rachel Normand had four blocks for Hays.
“It was a great victory for our team, the kind we really needed,” Hays head coach Erica Walther said. “We needed to believe we could beat a quality district team like this, and we did it after losing the first game. I was very proud of how we battled back and I look for this to be a big boost as we get into the second round of district.”
Hays was scheduled to play at Smithson Valley Tuesday night. The Lady Rebs are back in action Friday night when they take to the road to play Clemens.
The Lady Rebels swept Clemens in three games last month during the first round of district action.
