Gracie Trulson and Lilly Lowery stand up to stop a kill attempt by the Memorial Mavericks. The Lady Eagles defeated the Mavs at home by scores of 25-22, 25-14 and 25-23. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER
Decatur had little trouble moving up the rankings on Tuesday night, as the Lady Eagles (10-9) defeated 5A Wichita Falls Memorial at home by scores of 25-22, 25-14 and 25-23.
Decatur coach Stormi Snider said the non-district win against a stronger opponent was crucial in preparing the team for league play, especially because every player had the opportunity to see the field.
“It’s good for our confidence. Everyone played a key role and everyone did their job,” Snider said. “It’s really going to pay off at the end of the season to compete against those tougher and bigger teams, especially in the sweeps or what we did in the second set. I’m very proud of my girls.”
The opening set was characterized by tough, back-and-forth rallies. After taking an early 6-3 lead against the Mavs, the Lady Eagles were locked in a stalemate throughout the set, including a 22-22 tie at the end.
Veteran right wing Gracie Trulson broke the score with a kill to take a 23-22 lead. Memorial followed with two consecutive out-of-bounds kill attempts, leaving the opening game to the Lady Eagles.
Trulson finished the game with 11 kills, ranking second on the team behind veteran outside hitter Lara Hornsby, who had 15 kills.
After building a slim 9-5 lead and forcing the Mavs to take a timeout, Decatur was able to hold its breath in the second set. Lilly Lowery, Peyton Dickson and Lara Hornsby were able to put Memorial under pressure at the net, leading to a solid performance from the Lady Eagles on both ends.
An ace from Hornsby and a couple of hits from Trulson pushed the lead to 17-9, forcing the Mavs to stop play again. After the break, Decatur continued to dominate thanks to efforts from Lowery and Averi Walsh, winning the second set 25-14.
Veteran underdog hitter Lara Hornsby finished the game with the most kills (15), aces (2) and digs (17) on her team. BRENDAN MARCHAND | WCMESSENGER
“Honestly, after the first set, we kind of took the momentum and ran with it. We made combative plays and the blocking drills we’ve been working on really paid off,” Snider said. “We kind of neutralized some of their hitters and got them to throw the ball free or take a rolling shot over the net, which made our offense run efficiently.”
The Mavs didn’t give up in the final period. Memorial took an early 6-3 lead and held on to it until Lowery ended the drought with a block and then a tip-in to make it 13-12.
Memorial kept things tight but was never able to regain the upper hand. Greyson Harrison’s only point of the game prevented the Mavs from overtaking the Lady Eagles at the end. Combined with points from Hornsby, Dickson and Trulson, Decatur was able to sweep the visitors off the court in front of their home crowd.
“The energy was great in the first set and fantastic in the second set, but in the third we were just even,” Snider said, commenting on aspects the team can improve on. “I really want them – no matter what’s going on or who’s on the court – to play with full energy. If we’re not jumping around, being crazy and pushing each other on the floor, we’re not playing well.”
Hornsby and Trulson combined for 26 kills on offense. Hornsby also landed two aces and Dickson one.
Hornsby proved to be a two-way player on Tuesday, leading the team in saves with 17. Aubrie Duncan followed in second place with 10 saves. Snider said the middle blockers were the ones she noticed most in the game, with Lowery’s three saves at the goal being particularly notable.
“All three of our middle blockers, Harper (Smith), Lilly and Ella (Seay) … did a really good job of blocking and making our defense work,” Snider said. “Some of those attacks were because our blockers were in the right spots.”
The Lady Eagles travel to Northwest High School on Friday for games against the Texans (4:00 p.m.) and Birdville (5:30 p.m.).
