Julia Sloan had a message for her volleyball team headed into a matchup with county rival Licking.
“I told them, ‘I need you guys to be that gritty team that I know you can be,’” she said.
And they were.
After dropping the second set to Licking, the Lady Tigers used strong starts to the third and fourth set en route to a 25-17, 18-25, 25-22, 25-18 win last Thursday night inside Tiger Fieldhouse.
The victory was Houston’s first regular-season win in the series since 2021.
“Our job tonight was to win, “and we pulled it out.”
Kayla Wagner led a balanced Lady Tigers attack with 17 kills. Kynlee Weaver had five aces. Hally Scheets and Millie Manier had three blocks apiece.
McNiell had a team-high 23 digs. Sophomore Clair Benoist had 20 assists.
The Lady Tigers are 3-0 for the second straight year. Last year’s fourth match was a loss to Licking.
“We worked together,” McNiell said. “We talked well and picked each other up when we struggled.”
PHOTOS: Lady Tigers vs. Licking
The first set was tied 14-all when Wagner and Annabelle Westbrook had consecutive kills to spark a quick 5-0 spurt. The Lady Tigers were ahead 20-17 before closing the set with another string of five unanswered points that ended with a kill from junior Hally Scheets.
Licking (0-7) scored five of the first seven points of the second set and never trailed to pull even.
“We just didn’t pass,” Sloan said. “That was our No. 1 goal, and it obviously didn’t happen in the second set.”
Houston bounced right back with back-to-back aces from senior Carli Cummins-Drake as part of a 6-1 start in the third set. Weaver had an ace as the lead grew to 16-5.
“We talk a lot about ‘next ball mentality,’” Sloan said. “We were very consistent and aggressive in the first and third sets.”
Freshman Millie Manier and Sheets had kills as Houston led 13-7 in the fourth. Scheets had another kill as part of a 5-1 run to close out the match.
“I told them I wouldn’t put them out there if I didn’t believe in them,” Sloan said. “And they proved it.”
ROAD WIN NO. 2 AT SUMMERSVILLE
Wagner had a team-best 15 kills, and McNiell and Benoist had two aces apiece in the Lady Tigers’ 25-16, 25-9, 25-20 last Tuesday at Summersville.
Benoist led HHS with 11 assists. McNiell had nine digs. The team recorded four blocks.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Houston hosts another county foe, Plato, on Tuesday before beginning SCA play at home Thursday against Willow Springs. The next victory will be Sloan’s 150th career win.
On Saturday, the Lady Tigers host the Houston Quad. Here’s the schedule:
VARSITY (Tiger Fieldhouse)
- Houston vs. Willow Springs, 9 a.m.
- Waynesville vs. Reeds Spring, 10:15 a.m.
- Houston vs. Waynesville, 11:30 a.m.
- Willow Springs vs. Reeds Spring, 12:45 p.m.
- Houston vs. Reeds Spring, 2 p.m.
- Willow Springs vs. Waynesville, 3:15 p.m.
JUNIOR VARSITY (Hiett Gym)
- Waynesville vs. Reeds Spring, 9 a.m.
- Houston vs. Willow Springs, 10:15 a.m.
- Willow Springs vs. Reeds Spring, 11:30 a.m.
- Houston vs. Waynesville, 12:45 p.m.
- Willow Springs vs. Waynesville, 2 p.m.
- Houston vs. Reeds Spring, 3:15 p.m.