The Littlefield Lady Cats’ varsity volleyball team won their first game of bracket play on Saturday over the Ropes Lady Eagles, 2-0.
The Lady Eagles jumped out to a, 0-2 lead in set one, as Bree Stumbo delivered a kill off of Emily Champion and Ashtyn Parker sent a kill out of bounds for Littlefield. Briana Erculiani was called for touching the net on a play, turning the serve over to Littlefield, but the Lady Cats couldn’t capitalize, as Champion sent a serve sailing over the back boundary line, making the score, 1-3.
Parker had a kill tipped at the net by Erculiani, before it fell in for a Littlefield point to make it a onepoint game, and Parker tied the set with an ace on the next play, making the score, 3-3. Her next serve went unreturned to give Littlefield their first lead of the match, but it was short-lived, as Parker’s following serve fell short of the net making the score, 4-4.
Stumbo served up an ace off of Tricia Torres to put the Lady Eagles back in front, 4-5, but Brynna Ray set Madison McNeese up for a kill to tie the set, 5-5, as the Lady Cats regained the serve. Ava Grace Falls delivered a kill off of Danielle Zapata to put Ropes in front, but the Lady Eagles couldn’t take advantage, as Erculiani’s serve on the next play sailed over the back boundary line for a Littlefield point.
Falls tipped the net for a Ropes kill, but Stratton Schertz’s serve on the following play was out of bounds, keeping the set tied, 7-7. The Lady Cats were able to capitalize on serveral Ropes miscues to take a, 10-7, lead as the Lady Eagles took a time out to talk things over.
Out of the break, Aubrey Bandy sent a kill past McNeese, but the Lady Eagles couldn’t get a rally going, as the kill by Stumbo on the next play landed just out of bounds, making the score, 11-8. A hit by Parker was hit out of bounds by Ropes, but the Lady Cats were called for four hits on the next play, as the back-and-forth match continued.
Parker scored a kill off of Meagan Bray and Champion followed it up with an ace off of Erculiani, as the Lady Eagles called another time out to talk things over. Out of the break, a kill attempt by Julie Bownds landed out of bounds and Parker followed it up with a hit into the net to cut the lead to, 14-11.
Bray sent her serve short of the net for Ropes, but the Lady Eagles bounced back on the next play, as Stumbo tipped the net for a kill to make the score, 15-12. McNeese answered with a kill off of Keeley Shakespeare and on the next play, Falls was called for going across the net on a tip to make the score, 17-12. Falls was blocked by McNeese for a kill and on the following play, Falls sent a hit into the net to push the Littlefield lead out to, 19-12.
A hit by Ropes was tipped out of bounds by Bownds and Kyndal Edgemon was called for touching the net on a tip during the next play to trim the lead to, 19-14. Erculiani sent a serve sailing out of bounds, as the serve went back to the Lady Cats, and on the next play, Bandy was called for touching the net, making the score, 21-14
Ḟalls earned a kill for Ropes and Champion sent her hit on the next play out of bounds, before Bandy dropped in a tip off of the block attempt by Edgemon for a kill, cutting the lead to, 21-17. McNeese delivered a kill off of a Ropes block attempt and Falls sent a hit into the net on the next play to make the score, 23-17.
The rally ended when a kill by Edgemon landed out of bounds, but Parker answered with a kill past Erculiani and Ray served up an ace in front of Kamdyn Garcia to end the set, 25-18.
In set two, a tip by Parker was blocked by Stumbo and hit out of bounds by Ray to put the Lady Eagles in front, 0-1. Stumbo followed it up with a kill on the next play, but Littlefield responded, as Stumbo was blocked by Parker on an initial hit. Bray was there for the cover, but Parker ended it with a kill to get the Lady Cats on the board.
Stumbo mistimed a hit on the next play sending it into the net to tie the set, 2-2. A bad hit by Bandy was hit into the net by Stumbo to put the Lady Cats in front, 3-2. Parker kept the rally going with a kill off of Schertz and Stumbo followed it up with a hit into the net to push the Littlefield lead out to, 5-2. Champion served up an ace in the back row, as Ropes took a time out to talk things over. Out of the break, Stumbo and Bray sent back-to-back kill attempts out of bounds, making the score, 8-2.
Erculiani ended the rally, as she delivered a kill off of Champion to make the score, 8-3. Littlefield was called for an illegal attack, but Ropes couldn’t capitalize, as Bray sent her serve sailing out of bounds, making the score, 9-4.
A serve by Kennadi Hanlin was hit out of bounds by the Lady Eagles, but on the next play, McNeese was called for touching the net on a block attempt, making the score, 10-5. Ropes again was unable to get their serve in, as Stumbo sent it sailing over the back boundary line, pushing the lead out to, 11-5.
The teams went back-and-forth until Parker dropped in a kill in front of Schertz to make the score, 16-7. McNeese followed it up with an ace, as Ropes took a time out to talk things over, trailing Littlefield, 17-7. Out of the break, Parker was blocked by Bray and Falls and the ball was tipped out of bounds on a dig attempt by McNeese, trimming the lead to, 17-8.
Edgemon responded with a kill for the Lady Cats and Ray followed it up with back-to-back aces, before she had a serve returned for a Ropes point, making the score, 20-9. Bray sent a tip off of McNeese out of bounds, but Erculiani sent a hit into the net on the next play, turning the serve over to Littlefield.
Champion’s serve went unreturned and on the next play Erculiani sent a hit over the back line, making the score, 22-10. Ropes was called for a double-hit on the following play, but Champion couldn’t keep the rally going for Littlefield, as she sent a serve over the back line, making the score, 23-11.
The Lady Cats would close out the set on the next three plays to take set two, 25-12, and the match, 2-0.