Lady Dawgs go down fighting
“Wimberley was completely on their A-game,” said Burnet head coach Bethany Grissom. “They came out ready to defend their state title from point 1. They know when to turn it up and that’s what they did.”
The Lady Texans swamped Burnet with a torrent of hits to completely dismantle the Lady Dawgs’ formidable defense and disorient its high-attack for an impressive 3-0 conquest, 25-15, 25-16 and 25-18, in the Region 1 quarterfinal before a boisterous, capacity crowd.
Wimberley (30-9) advanced to the Nov. 14 regional semifinal at Lubbock Christian University against the winner of the Brownwood-Pecos match. The Lady Dawgs closed out their season at 25-16.
“I’m not sure if there is any one thing that we could have done better,” Grissom said. “We needed to have our best match and it just didn’t happen for us. I don’t think the girls could have tried harder. They were ready to play. It just wasn’t in the cards for us.”
Burnet had been within reach of the stars all season.
“It’s always hard to take a loss,” Grissom said. “I told the girls that the only team in the playoffs that ends without tears is the state champion. The girls were upset, but I told them to give it a few days and they will see all the good they accomplished. They set an example for the younger kids to look up to and to work toward.”
Wimberley’s Katie Milam opened the contest with a slam fired directly at one of Burnet’s top defenders, Manda Martin. The ball sailed off Martin’s hand and out-of-bounds. It would be the first of many blistering blasts aimed at Lady Dawg defenders.
The Lady Texans climbed to a 7-2 lead but some touch hits by Laura Servise and Eden Sultemeir pulled Burnet even at 8-8. Vandi Vann came alive at the net offensively and defensively but couldn’t get anything to fall for the Lady Dawgs. Wimberley’s 6-foot Laura Blab unleashed five straight destructive strikes to ignite a 17-7 run for the victory.
In the second set, Milam dropped an instant quick-tap. The Lady Dawgs committed three consecutive errors before scoring, 1-3. A block by Vaughan and two Servise hits, one off the net, pushed Burnet to the lead, 4-3. Receiving and hitting errors handed the advantage, 5-11, back to Wimberley.
The Lady Texans then launched a furious defensive effort at the net to shut down the Burnet flurry and extended their lead, 8-15. Enflamed, Vann landed a strike and made a shuddering block to go with Servise’s hit to narrow the gap to 11-15.
Unrelenting, Wimberley continued their barrage with two kills by Milam and a monster strike by Blab. The Lady Dawgs, feeling the game getting away, committed a rash of hitting errors to help boost the Lady Texans to a 12-22 lead. Vann rejected another hit and Sultemeir pounded one through two defenders, but Milam fired a strike directly into Sultemeir and claimed the win with a push to the back corner.
“The third game was important to the girls,” Grissom said. “They didn’t want to go down without a fight. I was proud of how they pulled themselves together after losing the first two games.”
Burnet came out for the third set with furnace-fire intensity. Vann feverishly patrolled the net, delivering two kills and a pair of tips, while Servise had a hammer that sparked an early 9-5 advantage. Sultemeir added a blast and a smart push hit to the back maintained an 11-8 lead but Wimberley was closing in on the power of Blab.
A 15-minute official stop to verify serving order and proper rotation altered the flow of the game.
Wimberley had two quick tips to even the score at 13 apiece. Next, Emily Vaughan zeroed in a hit to the back corner and followed it with a strong block for Burnet. Milam fired a strike directly at Yudith Ortiz and a tap by Lindsey Leinneweber surged the Lady Texans ahead, 14-15. Hits by Servise and Sultemeir kept the Lady Dawgs in hot pursuit at 17-18. Tips by Milam and Blab and strong net defense helped Wimberley forge a 17-24 lead and again, the win.
Junior outside hitters Servise and Sultemeir led the Lady Dawgs with 10 kills each. Lindley recorded 13 assists while defensive specialist Ortiz was credited with 10 digs. Vaughan had a block and Sultemeir dropped in an ace.
The contest marked the final high school volleyball competition for seniors Martin, Lindley, Ortiz, Vann, Vaughan and Laila El-Far.
“I just want to say how proud I am of these girls,” Grissom said. “The girls got better as a team with each match that we played. They learned a lot about the importance of teamwork and this relates to all sports and in life. The seniors will be dearly missed, and they did a great job representing the school and the community of Burnet. It’s been a great first year for me here in Burnet and I’m excited about the future. ”