The Lady Tigers won their first non-scrimmage volleyball tournament of the season over Atlanta and Chapel Hill on Aug. 14. Texas High struggled early but was able to get rolling as the games progressed.
Texas High 3; Chapel Hill 2
The hosting Lady Tigers opened the tournament against the Lady Red Devils of Chapel Hill. The match ended with a 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 22-25, 25-18, 15-11) outcome in favor of Texas High. The Lady Tigers dominated game one but struggled to keep up in the second and third games.
“Chapel Hill isn’t a very good team. We are definitely better than them,” junior defensive specialist Megan Hillis said. “It was a sketchy start, but I knew we would be okay.”
In the closing games, THS was able to gain some separation and put the match away. Sophomore and last year’s district Setter of the Year Jalissa Trotter played a key role in the win, providing 23 points, 23 assists, 14 kills and seven aces.
Chapel Hill 1; Atlanta 3
The second match brought the Lady Rabbits of Atlanta and the tired Lady Red Devils. Having just finished a long and difficult match against Texas High, the Chapel Hill was forced into making multiple mistakes in key situations. Atlanta won the match 3-1 after watching the Lady Red Devils shoot themselves in the foot in close games.
Texas High 3; Atlanta 0
The final match between Atlanta and Texas High was almost no contest. Atlanta was able to take the lead in game one but only for short periods. Texas High took the match and the tournament with the 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-12) victory.
“We were much more confident,” senior middle blocker Rachel Lassitter said. “We were dancing in the locker room before the game. We just went out there and had fun.”
Lassitter led the team in the win, scoring 21 points, nine aces, five kills and eight digs. Megan Hillis was also a factor with 13 digs.
While the Lady Tigers didn’t play their best throughout the entire tournament, they were able to come alive at the right moment and come away with the victory. The girls hope to continue to improve as the season goes on.
“Our blocking definitely needs some work,” Lassitter said. “We can put the ball down. We just need to work on getting it up.”
