The Lady Texan volleyball team ran into a revenge-seeking buzzsaw last Tuesday night in the form of the Bellville Brahmanettes and their long-time coach, Susan Brewer.
“They came out ready to play - so did we - but I think it meant a little bit more to them, “ said Lady Texan coach Stephanie Barthels. “They are still hurting over us knocking them out of the playoffs two years ago. Most of their current players were on that team we beat while none of our girls were around then. It was a little surreal to see ‘Revenge Season’ on some of the signs in the stands.”
The Lady Texans took the first set 25-23 behind the play of Laney Hennessee. “Laney led the way with some really big swings. She was on fire and we have to go to her when she’s hot because she’s got that big swing,” said Barthels, adding, “She did a really good job for us and I’m really proud of her. She’s gonna be a great leader as she gets older. It’s just crazy to think that she is only a sophomore. I’m expecting really big things from her in the future.”
Hennessee had 17 kills and Jesse Weeks 20 assists to lead the Texan attack. Carson Peoples had 19 assists. Emily Thames, Mariah McCoy, Carson Peoples, and Hennessee each had an ace from the service line. One of the strengths of Texan volleyball this year has been their service game but the Bellville libero played a strong match, returning serve and keeping the ball in play. “They have a truly amazing libero,” Barthels commented. “If she’s not an all-state libero, then there’s something broken in the system.”
The Brahmanettes came back to win the next three sets to take the match, ending the Lady Texan playoff run. “We lost 17-25, 21-25, then 23-25. So we were really close all night long. They had some lucky swings on us where it hit the net and fell for points. We had some serve receive errors and their really big hitters got the best of us. They’re an older team and they just got us a little frazzled with their seasoned team against ours. Other than that, it just came down to they’ve been there. It came down to experience over youth.”
Defensively, Hennesee led with 22 digs. Rhagen Masur had 21 and Maddy Harris added another 15. Kensee Brown and Hennessee each collected a block at the net.
“We did an incredible job for our ‘rebuilding year’ making it four rounds deep in the playoffs with the youth that we had and the inexperience. If you would have told me that we would make it to the regional quarterfinals after our first game of the year, I probably would have laughed. But the growth and maturity they gained through the season was phenomenal. I’m just super proud of these girls,” shared Barthels, continuing, “You know, we’re going to take what we’ve done, we’ll sit on it, work hard in the offseason, and come back ready to go next year.”
When asked about the impact of her seniors on this young team, Barthels reflected, “They have passed on so much. Their perseverance. Dignity and respect, trust for each other, their natural leadership. There are so many words to characterize their influence on our team. Faithful, diligent, loving, and caring.” She continued,”They’ve shown how to be a true human and how to be servant-hearted. I think their Halloween costume said it best (they recreated the Nativity scene) about being a Christian and how to serve others. I think that is just who that whole group is. It starts from the top and trickles down. I think they did that the best.”
Lady Texan volleyball completes the season with a respectable 32-11 record. Graduating seniors from this team include #2 Maddy Harris, #5 Emily Thames, #7 Alexis Mullins, #11 Ava Hennessee, #12 Tessa Milam, and #15 Lauren Boyle.
