RUSK — The Diboll Ladyjacks volleyball team built the biggest part of its 25-15 regular-season record largely on the strength of the group's sheer athleticism.
When they became more fundamentally sound, the Ladyjacks became a playoff contender.
Gary Stallard |
Diboll's Kayla Martel elevates for the kill during Tuesday's bi-district playoff action in Rusk. The Ladyjacks advanced with a 25-16, 25-26, 25-20 sweep of Chapel Hill's Lady Bulldogs.
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The Ladyjacks used that very combination of athleticism and volleyball knowledge to sweep Chapel Hill 25-16, 25-16 and 25-20 in bi-district playoff action Tuesday in Rusk.
Chelsea Burns may have led the team in overall kills with eight, but individual stats weren't the story of Diboll's dominant performance. Tiffany Mott, Kayla Martel, Tyshekia Jackson and Meredith Ruby teamed up with Burns to dominate the nets, and Mary Compean, Neicy Deason and Chasity Burns kept the ball off the floor long enough for Ladyjack passes to turn into points.
"We were definitely an athletic team at the first of the season, but I think we relied too much on athleticism to the point we weren't getting any better fundamentally," Diboll head coach Jeremy Stewart said afterward. "But once we started putting the two together, we just kept getting better, and you saw the result of that tonight.
"Having a team with that sort of mix could give us a real shot at going far in the playoffs."
By no means were the three wins easy for the Ladyjacks. Chapel Hill's Lady Bulldogs kept Game 1 tight at 10-9 before Mott broke out the big serve, serving Diboll through the next six points, including a pair of Mott aces. The Ladyjacks closed out the first game on a Mott kill and a pair of Tiana Garcia serves to win 25-16.
After switching sides of the court for Game 2, Chapel Hill's heavy hitters found their groove, with the Lady Bulldogs collecting consecutive kills to keep the game tied at 10-10. The Lady Bulldogs actually took a short-lived lead at 11-12 on a Diboll service error, but Compean's six-point service streak pushed the Ladyjack lead to seven points, allowing the Ladyjacks to win by the same 25-16 score.
In the third game, Chapel Hill again kept the score tight, tying things at 15-15 after another Diboll net serve. However, Burns tallied four of her kills, and Meredith Ruby served for four points late, including an ace at 18-15, to send the Ladyjacks to the three-game sweep.
"Our girls played extremely hard, and they played well for the most part," Stewart said, "but we know we have to eliminate some of the mistakes we made tonight if we want to continue having the same success."
Diboll will return to Rusk Thursday for an area-round playoff matchup with Mexia. Game time is 7 p.m.
