The Houston Lady Tigers volleyball team finally showed the fight coach Debbie James has been waiting to see.
One night after dropping a close decision to Winona, the Lady Tigers pulled away late from Cabool for a hard-earned 25-23, 14-25, 25-16 victory Tuesday night at Hiett Gymnasium.
Kortney Huffman and Erica Keeney had eight kills apiece to lead Houston. Sophomore Sarah Pierce had a team-high 13 assists.
“It was good to see them really fight it out in the third set,” James said.
The Lady Tigers scored the first seven points of the match, leading to their first-set victory. But Cabool answered with the first seven points of the second set and easily forced a third set.
“We played flat in the second set,” James said.
Houston had the same issue Monday night when Winona squeaked out a 23-25, 25-23, 25-22 victory. Pierce led the Lady Tigers with 11 kills and 17 assists. Lainey Casper had a team-high 23 digs.
Last Tuesday, Houston avenged an earlier loss by beating West Plains 25-20, 11-25, 25-21. Amber Honig had six kills and six blocks. Tory Burgess had 12 assists.
“We let up and didn’t play in the second set, then decided to start playing again,” James said. “West Plains had some good athletes. That was a good win for us.”
JUNIOR VARSITY: Ashton Vandiver had four kills and Haylee Kell handed out nine assists in the Lady Tigers’ 25-13, 25-16 loss Tuesday night to Cabool.