Wimberley High School rounded out the first round of district play as the Lady Texans defeated rivals Navarro and Canyon Lake High Schools to sit firmly in second place. The Lady Texans improved their record to 25-6 overall and finished the first round of district play at 5-1. In the game on Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Lady Texans squared off with rival Navarro in a battle of stateranked teams and for sole possession of second place in the district standings.
The first set was a competitive back and forth as both teams found themselves tied at 8-8. Wimberley responded by going on a 8-3 run to take a commanding 1611 lead. The Lady Panthers were unable to overcome the deficit as the Lady Texans won the first set at 2516.
The second set was another competitive back and forth with neither team holding a lead larger than two points. Deep into the second set, both teams were tied at 21-21. Unfortunately for the Lady Texans, Navarro outlasted Wimberley by going on a 4-1 run to take the second set 25-22 and tie the game up at 1-1.
The fierce battle continued in the third set as neither team refused to give in as, once again, both teams held the lead no larger than two points. Late in the third set, the game was all tied up at 19-19. Learning from their mistakes in the second set, Wimberley responded with a 6-0 run to take the pivotal set 25-19 and hold a 2-1 lead.
Heading into the fourth set, both teams dug their heels in a pivotal set. Early in the set, the game was tied at 8-8. Needing a response, Wimberley once again answered by going on a 11-3 run to take a commanding 1911 lead. The Lady Panthers refused to bow out, despite facing match point at 24-22, but the Lady Texans weathered the Panther storm and won the fourth set 25-23 taking the match 3-1.
Junior Laney Hennessee led the way for the Lady Texans with 19 kills, followed by Addison Parks with 11. Mariah McCoy was third with nine kills, and Lili Sandoval was fourth with eight kills.
Hennessee claimed a double- double for the night as well with the Alabama commit claiming 19 digs for the night.
Also in the digs category, Rhagen Masur led the team with 26 digs. Addie Laney and Jesse Weeks also followed up with 16 digs apiece, Weeks also claimed a double- double for the night with 30 assists, followed by Carson Peoples with 25.
In Wimberley’s second game of the week, the Lady Texans hosted archrival Canyon Lake in the Battle of the Backbone. The Lady Texans came out strong, giving up only nine points in the first set to take the first set 25-9.
The second set was competitive as the Lady Hawks stormed out to a 3-1 lead.
Hennessee seemingly found the ball every single point, racking up six kills in a row for the Lady Texans.
“It’s really awesome, she gets trained at a very high level and is very committed to the game of volleyball, she lives and breathes this game,” Coach Stephanie Barthels said. “When she’s on we love to go to her, sometimes we go to her a little too much.”
Despite the streak, Canyon Lake capitalized on the Lady Texans’ errors as Wimberley held a 18-16 lead.
With the Lady Texans leading by only two points, Wimberley locked in going on a 7-3 run with great defense and offense play with two blocks and a handful of kills for both Hennessee and McCoy as the Lady Texans took the second set at 25-19.
“We talk about that a lot; trying to stay focused can be difficult,” Barthels said. “We just try to minimize errors as much as possible and have everyone know their strengths.”
In the third set, Wimberley again found themselves in a fierce battle with Canyon Lake with the game tied 11-11 halfway through the set.
With the Lady Hawks fighting to stay in the game, the opposing hitter spiked the ball off the face of setter Weeks, giving Canyon Lake the lead at 12-11. As the Hawks got the point and celebrated with the lead, the game turned completely upside down as the hit sparked a fire in the Lady Texans.
Setter Weeks had perfect set after perfect set to Lady Texan hitters, and they went on a 14-2 run to close the game 25-14 and sweep the match 3-0.
“Jesse grew up with brothers and put in the time and the effort,” Barthels said. “She’s an amazing kid and it’s hard to slow her down.”
During the game, Rhagen Masur, nicknamed Pebble by the team after her older sister was nicknamed The Rock, surpassed 1,000 digs in two years at the varsity level.
After the game, her and her team celebrated the win and her huge accomplishment.
“(Rhagen) is just a workhorse, she wants to work hard for the team,” Barthels said. “Rhagen told me that she doesn’t care about the milestone and just wants the team to win. She’s such a selfless leader.”
Wimberley begins the second round of district play this week as the Lady Texans host Fredericksburg High School on Tuesday, Oct. 3. The Texans then travel to Davenport High School Friday Night with the district title on the line in a rematch with the Wolves.
