Lady Cats give district taste of power

SA Standard Time - Saturday afternoon's action on the volleyball court at Central High School proved two things. The defending district champs have every intention of repeating. And they still have the firepower to do so.

The Lady Cats, winners of last year's District 3-5A title, opened up district play Saturday with a 25-17, 25-11, 25-21 sweep of Abilene Cooper. Central had fashioned a 23-4 record heading into Saturday's contest and climbed to No. 11 in the state rankings, but the Lady Cats said they had put all that success behind them with the start of district play.

"We are really proud of what we've done, but we have to put that in the past," Central setter Regan Darby said. "We can't look backwards. We have to look to the future. It's time to show everybody how good we are."

Central (24-3, 1-0) did that Saturday behind strong outings from several players, including Stephanie Starnes (10 kills and six aces), Lyric Ross (eight kills) and Stacy Teston (eight kills and six digs). The Lady Cats were not without their problems, however, as missed serves kept them from ever developing much of a rhythm, and some strong Cooper (14-11, 0-1) blocking gave Central fits - for short periods of time. "You have to give credit to Cooper," Central head coach Connie Bozarth said. "I thought they blocked us well, and I thought they dug some of our better hits of the afternoon. ... There's not an easy night in this district." It still ended in a Central sweep. "We had some pretty scatter-brained plays; we pushed through, but we still have a lot to work on," said Regan Darby, who tallied 27 assists. "There's a lot of pressure on us, actually, because we have to make sure we stay on top."

So are all the Lady Cats heading into their biggest match of the season - Tuesday's road contest at Midland High. It was in Midland, at the hands of the Lady Bulldogs, that Central suffered its only district loss of the season last year. No one on Central's team, Bozarth included, has won a varsity match at Midland High (20-7), but Permian upset the Lady Bulldogs on Saturday.

Pink Rally for the Cure T-Shirts from Tuesday's breast cancer awareness volleyball matches are still available for $12, with all proceeds going to the local chapter of the American Cancer Society. For more information, call Sharon Hayden at (325) 944-8441 or Connie Bozarth at (325) 659-3467.

SA Times - Lady Cats stay in control, get win in straight games (2nd game)

The Central High School volleyball team rolled past Abilene Cooper 25-15, 26-24, 25-18 in a District 3-5A match Tuesday in Abilene. The Lady Cats improved to 29-5 overall and 6-1 in district, while Cooper dropped to 14-17 and 0-7.

“I’m pleased that we got out of there in three (games),’’ Central coach Connie Bozarth said. “That’s not always been the case for us. Cooper is always a difficult place to play, and we kind of welcome playing in that atmosphere. “Ashley Thomas had a great night digging and passing. She really stepped it up.’’

The Lady Cats return to action Saturday, when they host Midland High, the only team to beat Central in district so far this year.