Salado closes in on 25-2A volleyball title Posted On: Wednesday, Oct. 14 2009 01:32 AM By Alex Byington
Killeen Daily Herald

SALADO – After getting a taste of success, the Salado volleyball team wants it all.

Seeking sole possession of the District 25-2A crown after sharing it a year ago, the Lady Eagles put themselves in the driver's seat by sweeping the season series against Rogers with a 25-16, 25-13, 25-23 victory Tuesday night at Eagle Gym.

"We knew they were coming for us and we just played with everything we had," said junior Hadley Joiner, who led Salado with 11 kills and 13 digs. "It was who wanted it more and we fought until the end."

It was also sweet revenge for Salado, which lost a five-game seeding match with Rogers last year after both teams split the season series, giving Rogers the district's top seed and a first-round bye in last year's Class 2A playoffs.

"You want to come out and get revenge on somebody that took your (title) – even though we were co-district champs – we felt like we should have been by ourselves," said Salado coach Bree Holz-Gonzales. "That's what we're focusing on this year. That's our goal."

This season, after advancing to their first-ever Region IV-2A title game last year, the No. 15-ranked Lady Eagles aren't leaving anything up to question, rolling through No. 23 Rogers in both regular season contests to effectively put the rest of the state on alert.

"Ever since last year when we went as far as regionals, we want to get back and move on to state," Joiner said. "We don't want to get our heads too big, but it's always been a dream."

With just a week remaining before the playoffs, Salado (28-5, 8-1) needs only to avenge its lone district loss to Lago Vista when the two square off Friday to wrap up its first-ever solo district title. Entering Tuesday night, Salado, Lago Vista and Rogers were all tied with one district loss apiece after Rogers beat Lago Vista and Salado beat Rogers in their first meetings.

"When we lost to Lago, it took a lot for them to come together and start clicking on all cylinders," Holz-Gonzales said. "... It's all about trust with them. They are all starting to trust each other on the court."

The win was an emotional lift for a team still trying to adjust to a less-than-100 percent Jenna Sebek, Salado's top hitter, who is still playing despite suffering a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee three weeks ago against Lago Vista.

"It took a while, and I had to explain to them that there is no Jenna to rely on," Holz-Gonzales said. "Yeah, she did a good job for us tonight, and she's a little gimpy, but they've rallied around her – 'Hey, you're coming along with us.' – and they're going to take her as far as they can take her."

Helping carry the offensive load for Salado were Joiner, fellow junior Camryn Bintz and sophomore Carling Urben, who had eight kills apiece, and Sebek, who contributed five kills in limited action.

Fueling the heavy-handed victory was junior Brennan Boydstun, who set the strong-armed Lady Eagle trio up with a team-high 27 assists, four aces and 10 digs.

"It feels great (to score off overpowering kills). But it starts with a pass and if we don't get a pass going, nothing else is going to fall for us," Joiner said.

But so far, things are falling into place quite nicely for Salado in its quest for its own personal treasure.

Contact Alex Byington at alexb@kdhnews.com or at (254) 501-7566.