Lady Cats earn three seed with, 3-2, win over Friona

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  • LOOKING FOR A POINT – Littlefield junior, Ashtyn Parker, delivers a kill past the block attempt by Friona, during the first set of their, 3-2, victory on Wednesday at Wildcat Gym in Littlefield. (Staff Photo by Derek Lopez)
    LOOKING FOR A POINT – Littlefield junior, Ashtyn Parker, delivers a kill past the block attempt by Friona, during the first set of their, 3-2, victory on Wednesday at Wildcat Gym in Littlefield. (Staff Photo by Derek Lopez)
  • SETTING UP THE ATTACK – Littlefield senior captain, Geyah Garza, sets the ball up for one of her teammates to strike, during the first set of the Lady Cats’, 3-2, victory over Friona on Wednesday at Wildcat Gym. (Staff Photo by Derek Lopez)
    SETTING UP THE ATTACK – Littlefield senior captain, Geyah Garza, sets the ball up for one of her teammates to strike, during the first set of the Lady Cats’, 3-2, victory over Friona on Wednesday at Wildcat Gym. (Staff Photo by Derek Lopez)
  • SETTING UP THE ATTACK – Littlefield sophomore, Kaeleigh Logan, goes up to deliver a kill attempt, during the first set of the Lady Cats’, 3-2, victory over Friona on Wednesday at Wildcat Gym. (Staff Photo by Derek Lopez)
    SETTING UP THE ATTACK – Littlefield sophomore, Kaeleigh Logan, goes up to deliver a kill attempt, during the first set of the Lady Cats’, 3-2, victory over Friona on Wednesday at Wildcat Gym. (Staff Photo by Derek Lopez)
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The Littlefield Lady Cats’ varsity volleyball team closed out the regular season with a win over Friona on senior day, 3-2, in a fiveset thriller.

With the win, the Lady Cats finish district play with a mark of 6-4.

Jayce Burney opened set one with a serve short of the net for Friona, but on the next play, junior, Ashtyn Parker, had her hit blocked by Victoria Gonzales and Reeese Stowers, tying the set, 1-1.

Parker responded with a kill off of Gonzales, but Friona answered with a kill by Emma Schueler, making the score, 2-2. Tiffany Sandoval scored a kill off of the block attempt by sophomore, Madison McNeese, and Parker had a hit land out of bounds, putting Friona out in front, 2-4.

Junior, Brynna Ray, was called for an illegal hit, but the Squaws couldn’t capitalize, as Breanna Godinez was called for touching the net, making the score, 3-5. Kambree Kimbrough sent a kill past junior, Emily Champion, and senior captain, Geyah Garza, making the score, 3-6, but the Lady Cats responded, as McNeese sent a kill out of bounds, off of Sandoval, trimming the lead to, 4-6.

Schueler sent a kill over the back line for Friona, but on the next play, McNeese gave the serve right back to Friona, as she too sent a kill sailing out of bounds, making the score, 5-7. Garza had a kill tipped at the net by Godinez, before landing out of bounds and Gonzales sent a kill over the back line to tie the set, 7-7.

McNeese served up back-to-back aces for Littlefield, before Garza sent a kill into the net, making the score, 9-8. Friona would knot it up on the following play, as junior, Ellie Lopez, hit a ball into the net to make the score, 9-9.

Kayli Stone’s serve sailed out of bounds, but a kill attempt by Garza off of the set by Ray landed out of bounds, keeping things tied, 10-10. Burney was called for a double hit on a set, and Gonzales hit a ball into the net to give the Lady Cats a two-point lead, 12-10.

Kimbrough sent a hit sailing over the back line, but Lopez’s hit on the next play was short of the net, making the score, 13-11. Parker answered with a kill off of Gonzales, but Kimbrough sent a kill past Ray and Champion and Sandoval followed it up with an ace off of Champion to cut the lead to, 14-13.

A kill by Parker was tipped out of bounds by Noelia Bautista and on the next play, Kimbrough was blocked by McNeese and sophomore, Kaeleigh Logan, for a kill, making the score, 16-13.

A hit by Burney was hit out of bounds by Champion, but the Squaws, again, couldn’t capitalize, as Burney sent a strong hit sailing out of bounds, making the score, 17-14.

Champion sent a serve short of the net, and McNeese had a kill land just out of bounds, before Lopez sent a kill over the net that Anahi Gonzalez couldn’t dig, making the score, 18-16.

A tip by Kimbrough was blocked by Garza for a kill to make the score, 19-16, as Friona took a time out to talk things over. Out of the break, Kimbrough was called for screening, extending the lead to, 20-16.

Gonzales had a hit tipped out of bounds by Champion and Garza sent a tip into the net, before Stone sent a serve sailing out of bounds for Friona, making the score, 21-18. On the next play, Kimbrough was called for a double hit, but Friona responded on the following play, as Gonzales delivered a kill that Ray couldn’t get to for the dig, making the score, 22-19.

Garza dropped in a tip over Stowers for a kill, but Kimbrough answered with a kill off of Lopez to make the score, 23-20. Parker delivered a kill between Stone and Gonzales, but McNeese’s kill to end it on the next series landed just out of bounds, making the score, 24-21.

McNeese would answer on the next play with a kill past Stowers to end the set, 25-21, giving Littlefield a, 1-0 lead in the match.

Littlefield fell behind early in set two, dropping the set, 15-25, ty ing the match at one set apiece.

In set three, The Lady Cats found themselves in an, 0-2, hole early, but Gonzales dropped a tip over the net, but it landed out of bounds to get Littlefield on the board, 1-2. Garza sent a kill sailing over the back line and Parker’s kill try was blocked by Stowers and Schueler for a kill, making the score, 1-4.

Gonzales sent a serve short of the net, but Littlefield was unable to capitalize, as Schueler sent a kill over the net that Garza couldn’t dig, making the score, 2-5. Sandoval served up an ace in front of Champion and Parker touched the net on a tip, but Kimbrough touched the net on a kill to make the score, 3-7, as the serve went back to Littlefield.

Godinez sent a hit into the net, but junior, Danielle Zapata’s, serve on the following play landed out of bounds, making the score, 4-8. Schueler scored a kill off of Zapata and Kimbrough served up an ace off of McNeese, making the score, 4-10, as Littlefield took a time out to talk things over.

Kimbrough sent a kill out of bounds on the next play, and on the following play, a save by Zapata was sent over by McNeese, as she tipped the net for a kill, cutting the lead to, 6-10. McNeese’s kill attempt on the next play sailed out of bounds, giving the serve back to Friona, with the score, 6-11.

The Squaws scored back-to-back points, before Gonzalez’s serve was short of the net and a tip on the next play by Lopez was hit out of bounds by Gonzales, making the score, 8-13. Gonzales sent another hit out of bounds and Lopez followed it up, dropping a kill just inside the back line to cut the lead to, 10-13.

Friona took a time out to talk things over, and out of the break, Friona was called for four hits after a hit by Gonzales sailed into the net. Burney and Godinez sent back-to-back kills sailing out of bounds to tie the set, 13-13, and a hit by Lopez was hit into the net by Gonzales, giving Littlefield their first lead of the set, 14-13.

Gonzalez hit a ball out of bounds, but Gonzales scored a kill off of Lopez to make it a one-point Lady Cat lead, 15-14. Stone tied it up with an ace off of Champion and Gonzales dropped in a tip for a kill, before Garza hit a ball into the net, making the score, 15-17.

Stowers dropped in a tip off of the block attempt by Logan for a kill, but Stone’s next serve was short of the net, making the score, 16-18. Ray served up back-to-back aces for the Lady Cats to tie the set, but Burney dropped in a tip for a kill to put the Squaws in front, 18-19.

Garza answered with a tip off of the block attempt by Gonzales for a kill, but a hit by Zapata went outside of the pole, making the score, 19-20. Gonzales served up an ace off of Garza, but misscommunication on the next play by Friona, gave the Lady Cats a point, making the score, 20-21.

Burney dropped in a tip for a kill for Friona, but they were called for four hits on the next play, making the score, 21-22. Parker scored a kill off of Kimbrough to tie the set, 22-22, as Friona took a time out to talk things over.

Out of the break, Parker sent a kill past Sandoval and Kimbrough was blocked by Parker and Edgemon for a kill to make the score, 24-22. Friona scored a kill in front of Champion to make it a onepoint game and they were able to tie it up on the next play, as a hit by Parker sailed into the net, making the score, 24-24.

Kimbrough sent her serve sailing out of bounds and a hit short of the net by Schueler gave Littlefield the set, 26-24, putting them up, 2-1, in the match.

Friona would bounce back in set four, taking the set, 14-25, to tie the match, 2-2, forcing a deciding set five.

A hit by Lopez was hit into the net by Godinez to open set five, but McNeese sent a hit into the net on the next play to tie the set, 1-1. Garza had a hit tipped at the net by Stowers and Sandoval couldn’t dig it, as it fell in for a kill to put Littlefield back in front, 2-1.

The back-and-forth scoring continued until Champion served up an ace off of Audrianna Trevino to put the Lady Cats back out in front, 5-4. Burney sent a hit out of bounds and a tip by Lopez on the next play was hit out of bounds by the Squaws making the score, 7-4, as Friona took a time out to talk things over.

Out of the break, Champion’s serve was broke by Sandoval, but it was killed at the net on a tip by McNeese, making the score, 8-4. A hit by Gonzales on the next play didn’t make it over the net, forcing a four hits call on Friona, but they were able to end the run by Littlefield on the next play, as a hit by Kimbrough was hit out of bounds by Lopez, making the score, 9-5.

Godinez scored a kill to make it a three-point game, but McNeese answered with a kill off of Sandoval and a kill by Garza on the next play was sent into the net by Sandoval, making the score, 11-6.

Friona scored back-to-back points to trim the lead to, 11-8, before Schueler was blocked by Garza and Logan. Stowers was there for the dig, but her hit fell short of the net, making the score, 12-8.

Friona was called for an illegal attack, as the Squaws took another time out to talk things over. Out of the break, Schueler came away with a kill, but Garza answered on the next play, as her kill was hit out of bounds by Burney, making the score, 14-9.

Parker was called for a double hit on a tip attempt, but on the next play, McNeese sent a kill over the net that was broke by Stone, but Garza was waiting at the net, as she dropped in a tip for a kill to end the set, 15-10, and the match, 3-2.

The Lady Cats traveled to Andrews High School on Saturday to take on the Alpine Lady Bucks in the Class 3A Bi-district round of the play-offs. Results were not available at press time.