Needing to win to at least have a share of the District 5-3A crown, the Blanco High School volleyball team arrived at Llano Gym Oct. 22 determined to split the season series with the Lady Jackets.
They did just that in a 25-20, 28-26, 25-18 victory to give Llano (24-6, 8-1) its first district loss this season.
The setback snaps a 12-match winning streak. The Lady Jackets hadn’t had a loss since a road trip to Burnet Aug. 30.
But they are still in first place in the district standings and can win the district title outright with a victory against Comfort next week.
The match began as a back-and-fort affair with neither team backing down from the other.
Every time one squad would build a two-point lead, the other responded to quickly tie the score.
With the first set tied at 20-20, the Lady Panthers (1818, 7-2) won the next three points that forced Llano into a timeout. At set point, one line judge called a Blanco hit out, while the first referee said it was in. That forced the first referee to tell both teams to replay the point.
But it didn’t matter as a Llano hitting error gave Blanco the set at 25-20.
The Lady Jackets showed their muscle to begin the second set. They ruled the net in the first eight points thanks to earning three blocks and forcing the Lady Panthers into a hitting error for a 5-2 advantage.
Llano kept building on that with kills by hitters Peyton Parrish, a junior, and Amelia Robinson, a senior, for a 14-8 lead that sent Blanco back to the bench for a timeout.
When the two teams returned, the Lady Panthers matched the intensity and earned the next six points thanks to kills, aces and Llano hitting errors.
From there the two squads didn’t let the other build a lead. With Blanco leading 24-22 after a passing error and two hits into the net by the Lady Jackets, Llano called its final timeout.
Robinson saved one set point with a kill, while sophomore outside hitter Addison Priem and Parrish teamed for a block to tie the set at 24-24.
Robinson had another kill to break the tie only to see Blanco match it with two of its own for a 26-25 advantage. But Robinson answered with another kill to even the set at 26-26 Blanco got to set point on a service error and then ended the set on a crosscourt kill for 28-26 win.
The third set began just like the match. Neither team flinched as they matched each other point for point. When the Lady Panthers took a 15-13 lead on a block, Llano called a timeout.
Blano took 10 of the next 15 points to win the match.
The result was especially disappointing for the Lady Jackets, who celebrated their players and families before the match began. The Lady Jackets wanted badly to defend their home court in front of a gym that was at least two-thirds full for a Tuesday night as fans of both teams loudly cheered their players, head coach Claire Head said.
“We got outplayed,” she said. “Everything went right for them.”
Indeed, Blanco was faster to balls hit to defensive holes, quicker to pounce on Llano hitting or passing errors at the net, and more accurate with kills that went down the line or cross court. Head agreed that the Lady Panthers walked into the gym with a mindset they had nothing to lose and “everything to gain.”
The result against Blanco was a far cry from what the Lady Jackets did against Ingram Tom Moore Oct. 18 where they won 28-26, 25-23, 25-19. Going into the match senior setter Madi Green noted playing at Ingram and at Comfort is challenging because of the number of fans the home teams draw. It makes it a loud venue and their players feed off that energy.
So to beat Ingram in three sets was especially sweet for the Lady Jackets.
“I felt like that was big for us, especially since we’ve been fighting through five sets,” Head said. “We were on like Blanco was on (Oct. 22). I let (my players) do their thing. With this group, they need to be able to be funny and silly and listen to their music. They’re better that way. I basically let them enjoy the ride. When we got there, we switched into game mode.”
Game mode for the Lady Jackets includes communication, trust and execution in their scheme. That’s why the loss to Blanco was especially difficult. Coaches switched up the plays, went to a different defense, and used timeouts when necessary because the Lady Jackets have played their way back into sets throughout the season on their own.
“We were completely communicating and we were in sync (against Ingram),” Head said. “It has to be a system. We tried everything (against Blanco).”
Llano travels to play at Comfort Tuesday, Oct. 29, with the subvarsities playing at 5 p.m. and the varsity to follow.
Senior Amelia Robinson (15) and the Lady Jackets react to a cross court kill by senior setter Madi Green (2), whose face indicates it’s just another point on the court.
Junior Peyton Parrish (13) and senior Amelia Robinson cover the net to make it difficult for Blanco to get a point. Photos by Jennifer Fierro
