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Lady Cats advance
By Van Hilburn
Published November 4, 2009
PRINCETON — Paris High coach Melanie Hodges was more than a little worried entering Tuesday night’s Class 3A bi-district playoff match against the Sanger Lady Indians.
The Lady Cats had lost two straight matches, which isn’t the way Hodges wanted her team enter the postseason.
Turns out the Lady Cats were just taking a breather and pacing themselves for the postseason.
Against Sanger, the Lady Cats started strong and were the aggressors most of the night, beating the Lady Indians in four games, 25-17, 25-16, 21-25, 25-15, at Princeton High.
With the bi-district victory, the Lady Cats notched their 30th victory of the season against eight losses, and advance to the area round for the second consecutive season.
“We struggled the past two games more than we had all year. I told them before the game that from here on out, I can coach them but they still have to execute, and they did that tonight,” Hodges said.
Paris faces District 11-3A champion Carrollton Ranchview at 7 p.m. Friday at McKinney High in a rematch of last year’s area round matchup. Paris beat Ranchview last year and has also defeated it earlier this season.
Paris trailed briefly in the first two games against Sanger before taking commanding leads to set the tone for the match.
“I think we were a little nervous when we started, but we quickly found our game,” said Lady Cat senior ShaTaylor Moore. “We got a little tired in the fourth one, but we picked it back up and finished strong.”
In Game 1, eight straight service points by senior Bailey Reavis, including two aces, helped give the Lady Cats an 11-3 advantage they would not relinquish. Junior Tiara Hall had three kills and junior Kendall McDonald added another during that run.
Sanger pulled to within five when Kaylee Byington dropped a kill and Hannah Kearney served two straight points, including an ace. But Paris used two kills by sophomore Andi Bawcum, an impressive backrow kill by junior Katie Cade, and two Sanger sideouts to win Game 1, 25-17.
Game 2 went much the same way, as Sanger took an early lead at 2-1 on a kill by Lacey Howard, only to watch Paris build a commanding 11-3 advantage. Once again, the Lady Cats’ run was highlighted by the serving of Reavis, who knocked down another ace and served six straight points in that span, and some strong frontcourt play by Hall. Junior Ariole Jenkins also had two place kills during that run by Paris.
Reavis finished the night with 16 service points, including five aces, and she had 11 digs. Hall hammered home a match-high 18 kills and had three blocks, while Bawcum had 11 kills, served four aces and had 15 digs. McDonald had seven kills 14 digs and two blocks, ShaTaylor Moore had nine kills, four digs and two blocks, while Caroline Chappell finished with 39 assists and eight digs.
Cade had 19 digs and two backrow kills, and Alex Garrison had three digs for the Lady Cats. Jenkins had four kills and two digs.
Sanger refused to be swept and took the early lead in Game 4, then held off late Paris rallies and took advantage of several Lady Cat miscues nab a 25-21 win.
The momentum appeared to have swung in the Lady Indians’ favor, as they took an early 3-1 lead in Game 4. Then Paris awoke, as Bawcum dropped in an ace and Hall hammered home another kill to give their team a 4-3 advantage. A missed serve, one of 11 in the match by Paris, tied Game 4 at 4-all, but Hall nailed another kill, and Reavis served two more points, including an ace to put Paris ahead for good at 7-4.
Things got interesting late in Game 4 when Sanger’s Paige Herring placed a kill shot past Paris’ defense, then a Lady Cat sideout off a long volley left the Lady Indians trailing by four at 17-13. Paris responded with five straight points, highlighted by Bawcum’s three straight ace serves, and a huge block at the net by Hall that left the Lady Cats ahead 22-13.
Sanger got more points off Beth Robinson serves before Reavis served the final two points, aided by two McDonald kill shots.
Paris advanced to the playoffs after going 8-2 and finishing second behind Commerce.
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