The Houston High School volleyball team picked up its 20th win of the season on Friday – achieving the feat for its fourth consecutive season. Before that, the program hadn’t achieved 20 wins since 2007.
The Lady Tigers dispatched nonconference opponent Conway in straight sets – 25-18, 25-13, 25-12.
Several players contributed to the effort, including: senior setter Morgan McKinney, 19 assists; senior Makinley Aaron, 11 digs; sophomore Summer Seago, 10 kills and 2 blocks; and junior Carli Cummins-Drake, 5 aces.
Houston (20-11-3; 2-5 SCA) began district play Tuesday, taking on Forsyth for the right to play top-seeded Mountain Grove on Thursday (Oct. 24).
“It’s that time of year where everything matters,” said HHS head coach Julia Sloan. “We will need to make sure we show up and are ready to play. Districts are a new ballgame for everyone. I expect our team to put it all out there and leave it all on the court.”
Junior Kayla Wagner – who missed the Ava match with an injury – was expected to play Tuesday.
AVA
Houston defeated conference opponent Ava in four sets last Thursday (Oct. 17) on the road.
The Lady Tigers dropped the opening set 22-25 before taking three straight – 25-18, 25-17, 25-14.
Wagner reached a career milestone during the match: 1,000 career assists.
“From the past three years, I couldn’t have gotten the 1,000 assists without a pass or a kill from my teammates,” said Wagner.
CABOOL
The Lady Tigers lost a hard-fought battle against county-rival Cabool last Tuesday at Tiger Fieldhouse.
Houston lost in five sets – 18-25, 25-21, 16-25, 25-13, 8-15.
“I thought it was the best we looked all year,” said HHS head coach Julia Sloan. “We just didn’t show up in the fifth set.”
Stat leaders for the night included McKinney, 26 assists; Graycn McNiell, 26 digs; Annabelle Westbrook and Seago, 1 block each; Wagner, 21 kills and 1 block; and Cummins-Drake, 3 aces.
