GARLAND – A formidable Lucas Lovejoy Leopards effort proved too much for the Dripping Springs Tigers to overcome in a 8-25, 16-25, 17-25 loss Friday in the UIL 5A state semifinals at the Curtis Culwell Center.
Dripping Springs (35-16) struggled to contain a myriad of Leopard weapons, including sophomore Cecily Bramschreiber, who finished with a game high 13 kills in the match. Lovejoy senior Madison Waters finished with nine kills, while freshman Brinkley Barker had eight kills.
On the opposite side, an imposing Lovejoy defense and front line impacted Dripping Springs’ ability to orchestrate and sustain runs. Errors also limited Dripping Springs’ ability to score points.
Tiger senior Madison Certain finished with a team high six kills, while seniors Alexis Haydt and Danielle Leboviz scored five kills. However, the Tigers finished with 19 attacking errors, four service errors and six receive errors in the match.
Lovejoy (45-6) gained the upper hand by winning the first set 25-8. The Leopards maintained momentum early in the second set before the Tigers mounted a rally to cut the Lovejoy lead to 16-15.
The Leopard offense powered its way for a 9-1 run to close the set and take a 2-0 match lead.
Dripping Springs gathered early success in the third set and kept pace with Lovejoy, which held a 14-12 lead midway through the frame. Lovejoy sped away and closed the match by outscoring Dripping Springs 11-4 down the stretch.
