Lady Dawgs drop match to Fredericksburg
In disbelief, the Lady Dawgs departed Fredericksburg empty-handed following a stunning District 8-3A loss. The Battlin’ Billies nailed down the first two sets, 24-26 and 22-25, putting the Lady Dawgs in an unfamiliar, uphill bind. Burnet, however, managed to yank out the third skirmish, 25-15, but couldn’t sustain a late rally in the fourth set and faltered, 19-25.
Fredericksburg coach Jason Roemer believed his defense, which recorded 89 digs and 9.5 blocks, and momentum were the keys to the outcome of the match.
“Our defense was so much better than the first time we played them, and we frustrated their hitters,” Roemer said. “Also, our ability to maintain momentum, winning the second set and then rebounding and winning the fourth were critical.”
The loss dropped Burnet to an 8-2 district mark and left it still one win short of advancing into the playoffs with games remaining at Wimberley (8-1) and a home match against Liberty Hill (6-3) on Tuesday. Fredericksburg improved its league record to 6-3 and remained in the mix of teams including Burnet, Wimberley and Liberty Hill battling for three playoff berths.
Junior Laura Servise, with sonic boom delivery, led the Lady Dawgs against Fredericksburg with 21 kills thanks to team assist leader, senior Manda Martin, who recorded 25 assists. Yudith Ortiz added 10 digs, and senior captain Emily Vaughan was credited with one ace and a block for the contest.
In the first set, junior Eden Sultemeir remained unstoppable from the outside while Vaughan slammed and defended in the middle to keep Burnet in stride with Fredericksburg. Reaching high, Vaughan tapped-back a hit, knotted the score at 13, and sparked a rally that sent the Lady Dawgs ahead, 21-17. With the door half-shut on the Battlin’ Billies, hitting errors and a critical defensive breakdown spelled disaster for Burnet. Fredericksburg wrestled the lead right out of Burnet’s grasp and captured the win by two points.
Shaken by the opening loss, the Lady Dawgs stumbled out in the second set and quickly fell behind, 0-6, leading to a timeout by Burnet coach Bethany Grissom. Regrouped, they came back with a vengeance led by an enflamed Servise, their powerful outside hitter. With a 6-1 run, the Lady Dawgs narrowed the deficit margin to 6-7.
With Burnet fiercely attacking, Fredericksburg sealed off the net with their blockers, ignited a strong counterattack with a torrent of strikes and surged to an 18-10 lead. Vaughan and Sultemeir kept hammering the Fredericksburg defense and Servise, recognizing aggressive blockers at the net, pushed one to the back corner to bring the Lady Dawgs closer, 18-21. The Burnet rally stalled and two serve-receive errors ushered in the loss.
Unyielding, Burnet unleashed all its weapons including Sultemeir, Mandi Lindley, Vaughan and Servise in an all-out barrage to muster a much needed win to swing the momentum in the third set. Servise, restless and frustrated, went on a ruthless rampage pounding Fredericksburg for a 25-15 Lady Dawg triumph.
In the fourth set, the two district foes dueled to an 11-11 standoff. Fredericksburg broke away with a 6-1 burst, but Burnet rallied to narrow the gap to 15-17. The Billies extended their lead with two consecutive aces and a kill. Lindley found an open spot on the back corner, and Servise zeroed in a strike in the same spot to stay close, 18-21, but the comeback fell apart with a host of hitting errors. With a floating tip, Fredericksburg closed out the Lady Dawgs 19-25.