Hawk Hunters: Lady Tigers Bounce Back in Rivalry Matchup
Story courtesy of Texas High School Tiger Times Sports Editor Kaylin Williams. Photos by Braylen Garren.
The Lady Tigers defeated the Pleasant Grove Lady Hawks 3-1 Aug 23, 2022.
The Tigers got off to a very slow start in the beginning of the first set, not gaining any momentum through the duration of the set.
Texas had multiple missed serves, hitting errors and miscommunication errors, ultimately beating themselves.
Pleasant Grove stayed disciplined on defense and came up with a few big kills. PG took the set 25-14.
Texas came out of the gates hot in the second set, immediately grabbing a 4-0 lead.
The Hawks came back after a few unforced errors for Texas, net calls and missed serves. PG took the lead 11-10.
From this point on, the set remained close, one team never going up more than two points.
Senior Bella Cherry came up with five big kills and two big blocks to put the Tigers up 24-22. Pleasant Grove ended the set with a hitting error.
Texas took the game 25-22, evening the set count to 1-1.
Texas gained complete control of all momentum going into the third set, taking another 4-0 lead.
With minimal errors and the electric crowd cheering them on, the Lady Tigers kept the Hawks down the entire set.
“I felt so hyped playing in such an [amazing] environment,” Cherry said. “[It] really brought our energy up and made the game so fun.”
Motivated by “overrated” chants from the Pleasant Grove student section, Cherry added nine kills to her count, keeping the Tigers on top, and taking the set 25-21.
“While running my offense, I knew I had to hit shots that were open and swing hard,” Cherry said. “That is the most kills I’ve ever had in a four set match.”
Going into the fourth set, both student sections continued with high energy, keeping the atmosphere intense.
PG took a 1-0 lead off of a Tiger error to start the set. Texas immediately answered with a kill, then took the lead with a kill by Cherry, a Lady Hawk error and an ace by junior Mally Lumpkin.
The Lady Tigers took off with the fourth set, with both the team and the student section producing energy and momentum.
Texas had multiple huge kills in the fourth set and played a good defense. Lumkin finished with 28 digs and sophomore Carlyn Clack made out with 22 digs on the night.
Cherry had the last ball kill with a big swing cross court, ending the match with an 11 point lead 25-14
The Lady Tigers took the victory with a score of 3-1, avenging the loss from a year ago.
Cherry racked up 28 kills, a career high for her, and 14 assists. Junior Cy Hopkins put up 28 assists for the Tigers.
The Lady Tigers will compete in the Mesquite-Horn tournament Aug 26 and 27, 2022.
