THE FLYOVER, VOLLEYBALL-STYLE | A roundup of Tuesday’s area volleyball, including the Tatum-White Oak rematch, and what’s happening with Gilmer, Henderson & Kilgore in 16-4A
When Tatum and White Oak get together on the volleyball court, it’s a masterpiece.
Earlier this year, coach Leven Barker’s Tatum Lady Eagles – ranked No. 2 in the state in the most recent Texas Girls Coaches Association poll – successfully defended their home court from White Oak, with a win in five sets. That’s two sets longer than most teams go with Tatum, who more often than not wins in a sweep.
But something about playing White Oak…
The Ladynecks did it again on Tuesday night, springing what they had hoped would be a trap for red-hot Tatum, winners of 14 straight coming in and the District 16-3A leader.
But Tatum would escape again: 20 kills from Kaysen Foster, 18 from Kamdyn Scott, a 42-assist night by Taydem Barker and 21 digs from Karly Stroud helped the Lady Eagles get out with a 25-20, 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-4 win.
Note that Tatum (35-5 overall this year, 9-0 in district now) trailed two sets to one after three.
They kicked it into another gear, pulling out a 25-21 win to force that fifth, deciding set.
In doing so, Tatum overcame a great performance by coach Morgan High and White Oak (24-16 overall, 6-2 in district play – both losses to Tatum). Addison McClanahan, who recently recorded her 1,000th career kill, had 13 of ‘em in this one, to go with six digs. Andee Bridges had eight kills and 10 digs, and Londyn Baker also had eight kills.
Alli Sims had 32 assists and seven digs; Londyn Bodovsky had six kills, five aces and three blocks; Karsyn Edwards had 13 digs; and Aley Dixon had five blocks.
White Oak has a trip to Troup set for Friday (4:30 p.m. varsity), and their remaining schedule has a home game against West Rusk on Tuesday; a trip to Arp on Friday, Oct. 25; and a road date at Gladewater on Oct. 29.
Tatum, of course, has names very familiar to ETBlitz readers in Foster, Scott, Barker and Stroud, and rightfully so: Foster had nine digs and three blocks to go with her kills; Scott had seven digs, four blocks and three assists to go with hers; Stroud also had three assists; and Barker had three kills, 13 digs and three aces.
But the Lady Eagles are winning so many games because of their complete package. Aundrea Bradley had seven kills, three digs and two blocks at White Oak; Taylor Jacobs had four kills, three digs, and two aces; Kyndal Greenwood had 13 digs, two assists and two aces; and Braylia Williams had two digs.
Tatum has three games left in the regular season: at Sabine on Friday (4:30 p.m.), at home against Troup on Friday, Oct. 25; and at Arp on Oct. 29.
Sabine: Also in 16-3A are the Sabine Lady Cardinals, currently fifth place in district and doing their best to move up and get into that fourth spot.
Sabine won on Tuesday night, beating Arp, 26-24, 25-19, 23-25, 25-15, and getting a holy-heck night from Sarah Roberts.
Roberts, a regular nominee in the Whataburger / ETBlitz player award each week, might have put her stamp on it this time: 16 kills, 21 digs and four aces in the win for Sabine, who also got 37 assists, two kills and 14 digs from Keeley McCann.
Anslee Brown had 10 kills, four digs, and three blocks; Camryn Tatum had seven kills and two digs; Trinity Jones had six kills and two digs; Kaitlyn Sanchez had five kills and two digs; Caitlyn Stewart had 10 digs and three aces; Ella Phillips had 12 digs and four aces; and Landry Griffith had four digs and two aces.
As mentioned, Sabine hosts Tatum on Friday; they’ll host Gladewater on Tuesday night; and then finish the regular season with a trip to West Rusk on Friday, Oct. 25.
District 16-4A (Kilgore, Henderson, Gilmer)
Having the No. 3-ranked team in the state in your district – a 35-game winner, with more of the regular season and the playoffs to come – is a tough deal.
Kilgore, trying to get back into the UIL Class 4A volleyball postseason after a three-year absence, ran into that reality at home Tuesday night, as Spring Hill left with a 25-13, 25-11, 25-9 win. For the record, the Lady Panthers are 35-3 on the season, 10-0 in District 16-4A play, and were, in fact, No. 3 in the most recent TGCA poll, released on Monday.
Kilgore was without one of its best players, Maleah Thurmond, who has missed a few games with an injury.
Still, Cheyenne Jones had 10 digs and three kills; Maurine Witt had 15 digs and an ace; Kylie Herrin had seven digs and an ace; Giselle Webster had two kills, two digs and a block; and Elle Litchenburg, a recent Whataburger / ETBlitz.com Player of the Week, had seven assists, two kills and a dig.
But first-year KHS coach Mika Hubbard and her girls aren’t nearly out of the playoff running.
They are 4-6, but they’re fifth place in the district – about two, 2 ½ games behind fourth-place Gilmer, also a team in the ETBlitz.com coverage area. Kilgore has four games left: at home against Carthage this Friday, a 4:30 p.m. start for varsity; at Gilmer on Tuesday, a huge game; at home against Chapel Hill on Oct. 25; and then at Pine Tree Oct. 29.
In the first round of play, Kilgore lost at Carthage and lost at home to Gilmer. But they beat Chapel Hill and Pine Tree. And on Friday, they won at Cumberland, a 25-22, 25-27, 25-20, 25-22 victory.
In that one, Litchenburg had nine kills, 11 assists, eight digs and an ace. Herrin had eight kills, 16 digs, and a block. Giselle Webster had six kills, two blocks and four digs. Witt had 16 digs, six aces and two kills. And Addison VanZandt had 19 assists and 10 digs.
For KHS to make the postseason, they’ll likely have to win three of their last four, maybe all four. But they get Carthage at home, have wins over CHHS and PT, so the opportunity is there. Even if Hubbard and the Lady Bulldogs miss the postseason, it’s been an incredible turnaround after double-digit losses in district last year, before Hubbard’s arrival.
Kilgore missed the playoffs in 2023; missed in 2022, although they finished fifth that season, one spot out of the postseason in their district; and missed altogether in 2021. They finished fourth in 2020, losing in the first round to Gilmer.
Speaking of Gilmer, the Lady Buckeyes want to hang onto fourth or maybe even move up out of that fourth-hole into third. They’re red-hot lately, having won their last four, all in sweeps of Chapel Hill, PT, Henderson and most recently, Cumberland Academy Tuesday night, 25-13, 25-10, 25-17.
GHS gets to try its hand at knocking off Spring Hill on Friday, at Spring Hill; they’ll host Kilgore, as mentioned, on Tuesday night; visit Carthage Oct. 25; and close the regular season at Chapel Hill Oct. 29.
Henderson, another ETBlitz-area program, is 7-3 in district and in third place. The Lady Lions won at home over Chapel Hill, 25-13, 25-22, 25-9, in a sweep Tuesday night, and left on their schedule is a trip to Pine Tree on Tuesday; a home game against Carthage Oct. 22; at Cumberland in Tyler on Oct. 25; and home against Spring Hill Oct. 29.
In Tuesday’s win at home over Chapel Hill, Kate Charlo led the way for the Lady Lions with 15 kills and also had six digs, two aces and two assists. Addison Standley had eight kills and two digs. Hannah Nelson had seven kills, four aces, 10 assists and six digs; Nolyn Norris had six digs; Brinklee Bowman and Preslie Costlow, two kills each; Tara McNew had six digs and three aces; Jayda Brown had five assists and two digs; Mary Ella Hampton also had two digs, and 11 assists; Chloe Ellis had four digs and two aces; and Jayda Brown had two digs and five assists.