LADY CATS DEFEAT ALPINE, 3-1, TO EARN BI-DISTRICT TROPHY

The third seeded Littlefield Lady Cats’ varsity volleyball team brought home the Class 3A Bi-district trophy on Monday night with a, 3-1, victory over the second seeded Alpine Lady Bucks at Andrews High School.

Chloe Cordova dropped in a kill for Alpine to open set one, and a hit by senior, Emily Champion, landed out of bounds to put the Lady Bucks in front, 0-2, but sophomore, Julie Bownds, answered with a kill off of Novah Carrasco to get the Lady Cats on the board, still trailing, 1-2.

Cordova dropped in a kill in front of senior, Brynna Ray, but Paula Vargas’ serve fell short of the net, making the score, 2-3, as Littlefield regained the serve. Sophomore, Kennadi Hanlin, served up an ace off of Mia Morris to tie the set and the Lady Bucks were called for four hits on the next play to give the Lady Cats their first lead of the match, 4-3.

Alpine had a hit blocked by senior, Danielle Zapata, and the second-chance hit was hit out of bounds by Carrasco, extending the Littlefield lead to, 5-3. Sophomore, Kyndal Edgemon, delivered a kill off of Kiara Castillo and Cordova’s kill attempt on the next play sailed out of bounds, extending the Lady Cat lead to, 7-3.

Alpine took a time out, but of the break, junior, Madison McNeese, delivered a kill in the back corner, off of the set from Ray to push their lead to, 8-3. The rally ended when Edgemon sent a kill out of bounds, but the Lady Cats wasted no time getting the serve back, as Champion responded with a kill off of Cordova to make the score, 9-4.

Junior, Kaeleigh Logan, sent a hit out of bounds, but Ali Maroney’s next serve for Alpine fell short of the net, as Littlefield took a time out leading the set, 10-5. Out of the break, Carrasco delivered a kill off of Hanlin, but Alpine’s hit on the next play sailed into the net, making the score, 11-6.

Senior, Ashtyn Parker, dropped in a kill and Abigail Ybarbo tipped the net for an ace, that Carrasco couldn’t dig, making the score, 13-6, before Ybarbo’s next serve fell short of the net.

A hit by Parker fell short of the net, but on the next play, Cordova was blocked by Bownds and then called for an illegal hit on the rebound hit, stretching the Littlefield lead to, 14-8. Parker was called for touching the net on a swing, but the Lady Cats answered, as Parker delivered a kill inside the back line to make the score, 15-9.

Alpine responded, as Morris delivered a kill between Ray and senior, Julie Rodriguez, trimming the lead to, 15-10. The Lady Bucks couldn’t string together any points, as Vargas’ serve sailed out of bounds, turning the serve over to Littlefield. Cordova responded for the Lady Bucks with a tip off of the block from Edgemon for a kill, however McNeese answered with a kill for Littlefield to make the score, 17-11.

McNeese dropped another kill inside the back line for the Lady Cats, forcing Alpine to take another time out, trailing, 18-11. Out of the break, Amory Aranda delivered a kill off of Logan, and Maroney tipped the net for an ace on the next play to cut the lead to, 18-13. But, Carrasco was called for touching the net on the following play, turning the serve back over to Littlefield.

Adayna Garcia sent a kill out of bounds for the Lady Bucks, but Carrasco dropped in a tip off of the dig attempt from Hanlin for a kill to make the score, 20-14. She couldn’t keep the rally going, as her serve fell short of the net, pushing the lead back out to, 21-14.

Aranda was blocked by Logan and Bownds for a kill, but Ybarbo’s next serve sailed out of bounds, making the score, 22-15. Parker delivered a kill off of Castillo and Ray followed it up with back-to-back aces to close out the set, 25-15.

Alpine would bounce back to win a tight set two, 23-25, tying the match 1-1.

In set three, Cordova was called for touching the net on the opening sequence, but on the next play she delivered a kill off of Edgemon’s block to tie the set, 1-1. Parker responded with a kill past Vargas, but Edgemon mistimed her hit on the next play, keeping the set tied, 2-2. Cordova’s serve fell short of the net and Carrasco was blocked by McNeese and Edgemon for a kill to make the score, 4-2.

Maroney was blocked by Logan, but the ball landed out of bounds for an Alpine point, but McNeese answered with a kill past Maroney to make the score, 5-3. Vargas dropped in a tip for a kill, but McNeese answered with a tip over Adayna Garcia and Aranda for a kill to make the score, 6-4.

Champion tipped the net for a kill on the next play and Ybarbo served up an ace off of Kylie Garcia to make the score, 8-4. Adayna Garcia sent a hit out of bounds on the following play, forcing Alpine to use a time out to talk things over. Out of the break, Parker delivered a kill and Ybarbo’s serve went unreturned to make the score, 11-4.

Alpine delivered a kill to end the rally and Adayna Garcia delivered a kill off of Zapata to make the score, 11-6. Castillo’s serve fell short of the net, but Littlefield couldn’t capitalize, as Ray sent the next serve sailing out of bounds, making the score, 12-7.

Parker sent a hit into the net for Littlefield, but Maroney’s hit on the following play for Alpine sailed out of bounds, making the score, 13-18. Rodriguez served up an ace off of Morris and the return on the next play by Kylie Garcia fell short of the net, pushing the lead out to, 15-8. Parker delivered a kill past Castillo, as Alpine took a time out to talk things over.

Out of the break, Rodriguez served up an ace off of Kylie Garcia and on the next play, a hustle play by Ray was sent over the net by Zapata and was hit into the net by Maroney giving Littlefield the point to make the score, 18-8.

A tip by Cordova was hit out of bounds by Parker and Ray, but it was short-lived, as Vargas’ serve was short of the net to make the score, 19-9, as Littlefield regained the serve. Carrasco was blocked by McNeese for a kill and McNeese finished off the play with a tip that fell in for a kill to make the score, 20-9.

A kill attempt by McNeese sailed over the back boundary line, but she answered on the next play with a tip that Carrasco couldn’t dig, making the score, 21-10. Alpine would cut the lead to, 24-19, before being called for four hits, as Littlefield took set three, 25-19, putting them ahead 2-1 in the match.

In set four, Alpine jumped out to a, 0-3, lead, before Cordova sent a kill sailing out of bounds. Maroney responded with a kill off of Rodriguez to put Alpine in front, 1-4, but an illegal hit by Alpine on the next play gave the serve back to Littlefield with the score, 2-4.

Carrasco delivered a kill off of a block by Zapata, but McNeese answered with a kill past Cordova to make the score, 3-5. Maroney delivered a kill off of Champion, but McNeese again answered with a kill past Maroney to make the score, 4-6.

McNeese followed it up with another kill in the back row and then delivered a block on Aranda for a kill to tie the set, 6-6. Adayna Garcia answered with a kill down the sideline for Alpine and Carrasco followed it up with back-to-back aces to make the score, 6-9. A miscue by the Lady Cats results in an Alpine point and a hit by Logan landed out of bounds, forcing the Lady Cats to use a time out, trailing the Lady Bucks, 6-11.

The Lady Cats would fight their way back into the set, eventually tying things up, 21-21, after a kill from Parker sailed past Maroney. Alpine took a time out to try and kill Littlefield’s momentum, but out of the break Parker delivered another kill, this time off of Castillo to give Littlefield the lead, 22-21.

Vargas scored a kill off of Parker and McNeese and a hit by Parker on the next play didn’t make it over the net, making the score, 22-23. Littlefield would tie it up on the next sequence, as Parker sent a kill past Carrasco, making the score, 23-23. Rodriguez’s serve was long, but Vargas couldn’t capitalize for the Lady Bucks, as she sent her serve short of the net, keeping the set knotted up, 24-24.

McNeese went on to deliver back-to-back kills for the Lady Cats, as they took down Alpine in set four, 26-24, and took the match, 3-1.

The Lady Cats played Bushland on Saturday at Hereford in the 3A Area round of the play-offs. Results were not available at press time.