Lady Cats win

SA Times - The Central High School volleyball team avenged its only district loss in a big way.

After losing to Midland High earlier this year in five games, the No. 11-ranked Lady Cats took Saturday's rematch with a convincing 25-15, 25-20, 25-18 victory. "This was really exciting for us," Central setter Regan Darby said. "We wanted revenge, and we were out to get them."

The Lady Cats didn't take long to grab control of the match. With the score tied at 10-10 in the opening game, Central reeled off a 10-2 run on the way to an early one-game lead. Central couldn't shake Midland as easily in the second game, but when the Lady Dawgs pulled to within 23-20, Stephanie Starnes ended their rally with two emphatic kills. Starnes led Central with 16 kills, while Kaitlyn Standard had 14. "All our hitters were being really aggressive and staying really aggressive," said Darby, who dished out a team-high 38 assists. "But I also have to give credit to our defense. They don't get the glory a lot, but I'm really proud of our defense. Without them, we couldn't have done all that."

Stacy Teston and Ashley Darby led the Lady Cats defense with 19 digs each in the face of a dangerous Midland attack. Standard led the defense at the net with 7.5 blocks, including several big stops to close out the opening game. "That was huge. It just makes our defensive job that much easier," Central head coach Connie Bozarth said of the defense, which had 13.5 blocks. "I thought Stacy Teston and Ashley Darby played really good defense ... and I thought our serve-receive was very good."

Central completed the sweep with a 25-18 win in the final game. The Lady Cats never trailed and led comfortably throughout. "We normally have a lag between Games 2 and 3, so I'm proud that we stayed strong and aggressive and intense," Darby said. "I'm just really happy with how we played all three games." Central improved to 30-5 overall and 7-1 in District 3-5A to remain in first place, though fellow frontrunner Midland Lee was only a half-game back entering the day. Midland High fell to 23-12, 3-5.

The Lady Cats, who will next play Saturday at Abilene High, have won six straight since their loss to Midland High. "We've never been able to put together a game at their place," Bozarth said. "And to lose by two points in Game 5 didn't sit well in our craw. So we wanted to win in three here definitely. "And our district is so tough, you have to win at home and steal one on the road."