The Lady Tigers played in day two of the Tyler Tournament, Aug. 12, 2022, going 1-2 on the day.

The Tigers started the day with a tough match-up against James Earl Rudder High, they lost 2-0. 

Rudder came out with an early lead, the Lady Tigers got in a few kills and gained a 7-6 advantage over the Rangers. 

Mental and miscommunication errors on the Tigers dug them in hole and kept them down throughout the set, however, Texas stayed within reaching distance for the duration.

The Rangers prevailed in the set 25-21. Junior Cy Hopkins led the Tigers with 8 kills.

The TRangers played a tough second set, more of the same miscommunication errors on top of missed serves kept Rudder on top the entirety of the set. The final score of the second set was 25-12. 

In game two against Gilmer, Texas came out with new life, winning 2-1. 

“I took the loss against Rudder personally,” junior Mally Lumpkin said.”I tried to keep a positive mindset throughout the Gilmer game and think about it as our last chance to stay on the winners side of the bracket.”

The Tigers caught a 12-9 lead early. Gilmer brought the game back tight with a couple of kills.

The two teams traded points back and forth for a while, multiple long rallies brought up the intensity of the game. At the end of the first set, the Tigers lost 26-24.

The second set was better for Texas. Still with missed serves and miscommunication, the Tigers pulled away near the end of the set with a 21-17 lead. 

Some more miscues gave an opening for Gilmer to comeback, but the Tigers ended up taking the set 25-22. 

The Tigers controlled for the duration of the third set. Lumpkin led with 20 kills, followed by Hopkins with 10. The Tigers closed the third set with a score of 25-17. 

The final game of the night was messy for Texas, they took a 2-1 loss to Kilgore. 

In the first set, the Tigers created multiple unforced errors, missed serves and net violations. 

Despite the errors, the Tigers stayed up and in the game, taking a 20-15 lead. However, more errors allowed Kilgore to close in. The Tigers led 22-21, and two big kills by Hopkins and an ace by sophomore Kyla Reed closed the set. 

Texas held all energy going into the second set, but a big kill for Kilgore shifted the momentum. The Tigers traded points back and forth, but were overcome by errors and lost the set 25-23. 

The third set started rocky for Texas, with back-to-back serve receiving communication errors. They never gained the momentum of the set, too many errors gave the game to Kilgore. The Bulldogs took the set 26-24. 

“We started out on a high note but we didn’t stay focused and disciplined to carry [it] out the entire set,” assistant coach Chealsea Slider said. “We can’t get too relaxed when we are playing with a lead.”

The Tigers take on Pine Tree at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 13, 2022, at Tyler Legacy.