One of the Houston varsity volleyball team’s biggest wins of the season has coach Debbie James on the verge of reaching a career milestone.
The Lady Tigers came on strong at the end of a seesaw battle with West Plains and downed the Lady Zizzers 26-24, 23-25, 25-7 on the road Tuesday night.
The victory, combined with Thursday’s win against Cabool and a pair over the weekend at the Rogersville Tournament, was the 299th of James’ career.
“We played one of our best games of the year,” James said. “They looked like a team that was enjoying themselves.”
Sophomore Amber Honig led Houston (9-13-3) with nine kills and four blocks. Janell Gentry dished out 14 assists, and freshman Sarah Pierce had a team-best 13 digs.
“It was the team as a whole that made the difference,” James said. “The girls are starting to support each other on and off the court. I think they are just starting to see their potential.”
After downing Cabool 25-13, 25-12 on the road Thursday night, Houston went 2-2 Saturday at the Rogersville Tournament. The Lady Tigers dropped their first two matches to Kickapoo (25-14, 25-14) and Parkview (25-18, 25-16) before rebounding with wins against Rolla (25-17, 25-22) and Licking (25-16, 25-20).__
Senior Kate Harper and Honig had two blocks apiece against Rolla. The Lady Tigers managed just one total block in losses to Kickapoo and Parkview.__
Gentry had 15 assists against Rolla, and Chelsey Williams had nine digs. Pierce led Houston, which rallied from a six-point deficit in the second set, with two aces.
“We did a great job of coming from behind,” James said. “This was the first step in the right direction.”
Harper, Pierce and Courtney Sillyman combined for 16 kills agains Licking. Pierce had a team-high 11 assists, and Gentry added three aces.__
James said her team’s passing has greatly improved, led by Williams. The sophomore libero had 35 digs in the tournament.