The Lady Tiger volleyball team lost their district match up against the Whitehouse Wildcats on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. The loss to begin their second half of district play brings their record to 5-3.
The Tigers and Wildcats went toe to toe in the first set of the match. The teams exchanged points back and forth until mid set when multiple defensive errors by Texas placed the momentum in Whitehouse’s hands.
A kill from the Lady Wildcats after a timeout by the Tigers brought the score to 22-13. Unable to respond to the offense of Whitehouse, Texas dropped the first set 25-14.
The Wildcats came out strong in the second set with a three point run that brought the score to 3-0. Texas responded quickly with several service points by sophomore Taryne Stiger, giving them the lead 6-5 for the first time since the beginning of the first set.
The Tigers took advantage of the Wildcats errors, rallying and pushing their lead to 14-9. However, Whitehouse retaliated with several kills and fed off of Texas’s errors, tightening the score 16-16.
Both teams rallied, until a missed serve by the Lady Wildcats put Texas ahead. Senior Mally Lumpkin extended the lead to 23-18 with a kill.
Whitehouse refused to let Texas’s lead extend, utilizing their defense and picking up several digs. The wildcat offense outplayed the Texas defense, rallying and tacking on several kills to tie the score 24-24.
The Lady Wildcats won the second set with a score of 26-24.
“I knew Whitehouse was going to come to play and that they wanted this game,” Lumpkin said. “I don’t think we were ready or expected what happened.”
The third set began with the Lady Tigers ahead, until a kill from Whitehouse tied the set 6-6. The Wildcats carried this momentum and produced several kills, holding the Texas defense down to stay ahead the entire set.
While Lumpkin helped get the ball back with several kills, Texas could not sustain the ball and lost the set 25-19.
“Moving forward we will work hard in practice by focusing on our weaknesses,” senior Cydney Hopkins said. “I’m going to step up in our next game and lead like I am supposed to.”
Lumpkin led Texas with 14 kills throughout the match.
The Lady Tigers will play the Longview Lobos in their next match up on Oct. 6, 2023.
