The Littlefield Lady Cats’ varsity volleyball team went the distance with Idalou on Tuesday, but came up short in their district match-up, 2-3.
With the loss, the Lady Cats fall to 13-9 overall, 0-2 in district play.
The Lady Cats dropped a backand- forth set one, 18-25. But in set two, Myli Hernandez delivered a kill off of Sarah Pirtle and Julie Bownds delivered a kill in front of Preslie Wall to put them in front, 2-0. A kill, though, by Idalou’s Paige Harder, sparked a threepoint rally, putting Idalou in front, 3-2, before a hit by Heidi Gentry landed out of bounds on the sideline, giving the serve back to Littlefield.
Littlefield couldn’t capitalize, as Giovanna Payan delivered a kill off of Bownds, putting Idalou back on top, 3-4. Idalou would jump out to a three-point lead, before Harder was blocked by Taryn Golden for a kill. Idalou answered, as Pirtle delivered a kill off of the block attempt by Bownds to make the score, 4-7.
Cali Saldana was called for a double-hit on a tip try, but Bownds followed it up with a kill that was hit out of bounds by Campbell Ross, making the score, 5-8. A hit by Hernandez was hit out of bounds by Addison Mathews, but Idalou answered with a kill off of Madi Brown, pushing their lead back out to-6-9.
Karsyn Lutrick sent a hit into the net for Idalou and Wall’s kill attempt on the next play sailed out of bounds, before Lyric Rios was called for a double-hit on a tip try for Littlefield, extending the Idalou lead to, 8-10. Pirtle and Lutrick sent back-to-back hits out of bounds for Idalou to tie the set, 10-10, and Saldana followed it up with an ace off of Mathews to give Littlefield the lead, 11-10.
Lutrick was called for touching the hit on a hit by Amiah Elizondo, but Idalou would respond, as Payan delivered a kill in front of Kennadi Hanlin and Harder followed it up with a kill off of Hernandez to tie the set, 12-12. Gentry sent a hit into the net for Idalou, but they fired right back with a kill by Lutrick that fell in front of the block attempts from Bownds and Maggie McNeese, keeping the set knotted up, 13-13.
A hit out of bounds by McNeese sparked a three-point rally for Idalou, before they were called for a double-hit, turning the serve back over to Littlefield. Annabell Phillips sent a hit into the net for Idalou and on the next play, Idalou was called for an illegal front row attack, tying the set, 16-16. A hit by Pirtle landed out of bounds for Idalou, as they surrendered the lead, promting a time out to talk things over.
Out of the break, Bryndle Ray was called for a double-hit on the dump attempt, but a tip by Bownds on the next play was hit into the net by Ross, making the score, 1817. Harder answered for Idalou with a kill in front of Bownds’ block attempt and Bownds’ kill try on the following play sailed out of bounds, putting Idalou in front, 18-19.
Idalou would score back-toback points, forcing Littlefield to take a time out to talk things over. Out of the break, a tip by Bownds was hit out of bounds by Harder, trimming the lead to, 19-21. Pirtle sent a hit into the net and an Idalou miscue on the next play had the set tied, 21-21. Wall dropped a tip into the net for Idalou, but Phillips followed it up with a tip over the Littlefield blockers for a kill to keep the score tied, 22-22.
Pirtle sent a hit into the foul pole and Mathews hit on the next play fell short of the net, forcing Idalou to take another time out. Out of the break, Lutrick sent a hit into the net, as Littlefield took set two, 25-22.
The Lady Cats got off to a slow start in set three and were never able to recover, as they dropped the set, 18-25, falling down, 1-2, in the match.
In set four, a hit by Harder didn’t make it over the net, but the Lady Cat’s couldn’t capitalize, as Hernadnez’s serve tipped the net before falling backwards for an Idalou point. Bownds made it back-to-back kills, as she sent a kill past Wall and Payan sent a hit sailing out of bounds to make the score, 4-1. Harder sent a hit out of bounds for Idalou, sparking a fourpoint Littlefield rally that ended when Harder delivered a kill over Saldana in the back row, making the score, 8-2.
Bownds scored back-to-back kills and Harder sent a hit into the net, stretching the Littlefield lead to, 11-2, before Wall delivered a kill off of Alyssa Torres to regain the serve for Idalou. Harder’s serve on the next play fell short of the net, but Pirtle responded with a kill off of Hanlin to make the score, 12-4. A tip by Rios was tipped out of bounds on a dig attempt by Ross, making the score, 13-4.
Idalou would not go away, as they rallied for four points to cut the lead to, 14-7, after Pirtle served up an ace off of Torres. Hernandez would regain the serve for Littlefield with a kill off of the block attempt by Idalou. Gentry delivered a kill in front of Hanlin, but Littlefield answered with a kill of their own and on the following play, Idalou was called for an illegal front row attack, making the score, 17-8.
Harder delivered a kill in the back row for Idalou, but a hit by Bownds fell in for a kill and she followed it up with a kill between Wall and Payan to extend their lead to, 19-9. Idalou took a time out and out of the break, Ray’s serve fell short of the net, however, Pirtle ran into the foul pole after a tip on the next play, making the score, 20-10.
Golden delivered a kill off of the block attempt by Phillips and Pirtle sent a hit into the net on the next play, pushing the lead to, 22-10. Pirtle delivered a kill in the back corner for Idalou, but Littlefield would claim the next three points to take the set, 25-11, tying the match, 2-2.
Set five went back-and forth until Wall served up back-to-back aces to put Idalou in front, 11-13, as Littlefield took a time out. Out of the break, a hit by McNeese fell short of the net, but Idalou couldn’t close it out, as a hit on the next play by Harder went into the net, making the score, 12-14. A tip by Harder on the next play was dug by Bownds, but no one else reacted to the play as it fell in for a kill, as Idalou took set five, 12-15, and the match, 2-3.
The Lady Cats hosted Tulia for their first meeting of district play on Friday. Results were not available at press time. They will continue district play next Tuesday with a road game against Childress.
First set is scheduled for 6 p.m.