Sports Roundup

Gatesville Wins Home Tournament

The Lady Hornets volleyball team went 5-0 at the GHS Invitational this past weekend to win a tournament championship.

Coach Janey Weber said her team struggled early on in the competition, but once it got things going they were unstoppable.

“The first day started a little slow, but on Saturday there was a change in mentality, and we kicked it into gear,” Weber said. “The girls came out with a hate to lose mentality, and it showed. They weren’t letting anything hit the floor, were playing as one and competed the entire way through.”

Gatesville defeated Mexia, Waco, Killeen, and Harker Heights en route to the tournament championship, and Weber said it truly was a team effort.

“I am so proud of the mental toughness they showed,” Weber said. “It’s been a while since Gatesville has been tournament champions at our own tournament. The girls fought hard and earned this title.”

Gatesville Cross Country Has Strong Effort at Belton

The Gatesville cross country teams had a good performance at the Belton CC Invitational this past weekend, placing multiple runners in the top 10 in both the varsity boys and girls races.

Coach Phillip Martin said that it was a good effort from his teams early on in the season.

“I was pleased with our overall performance,” Martin said. “We placed third with the varsity boys team with two runners in the top 10.”

Jack Armstrong placed sixth with a time of 18:51.5, and Malachi Olvera placed eighth overall on the boy's side with a time of 19:21.1.

“Our girls team was well-represented also with two top 10 finishers in the 5-6A Division,” Martin said.

Riley Higginbotham finished sixth overall on the girls side with a time of 23:04.4, while Vania Martinez was seventh overall on the girls side with a time of 23:15.5.

“I’m looking forward to building on a strong performance from this meet,” Martin said. 

Evant Finishes Moody Tournament Strong

The Evant volleyball team struggled on Thursday, dropping two straight games before rallying to take the last three to go 3-2 overall in the Moody Tournament this past weekend.

Coach JoAnna Vaden said she was pleased with the way her team hung in there despite dropping the first two games of the tournament.

“On Thursday, we fell a little short of some our goals,” Vaden said. “But came back strong on Saturday winning three straight. The girls worked together well and worked on correcting some things.”

Vaden said she had a couple of standout performances at the competition.

“Molly Waldrum stepped up with kills on Saturday,” Vaden said. “Molly and Izzy Gandy both got on a roll with their serves today (Saturday) with several aces and points scored. Harley Weeks had over 47 assists Saturday alone. Bree Ramirez, Luwi Rodriguez, Jolyce Acosta, and Izzy Gandy all stepped up with their digs and serve receive

Vaden said the key to the Lady Elks success will be to continue to build that team chemistry.

“One thing about our team is that they are successful when they work together,” Vaden said. “Different people stand out at different times, and they all always work hard for the team.”

Jonesboro Freshman Steps Up

The Jonesboro volleyball team defeated Deleon by a score of 3-0 on Friday night and got some major offensive production from a young source.

“We have a freshman, Lacy Weaver, that we really wanted to get some reps in on varsity,” coach Tori Smith said. “Our senior, Kyliegh Walker, has been having some shoulder problems so we had her serve for her, and she stepped up and did a great job.”

Smith said it was especially encouraging to see Weaver's Jonesboro teammates rally around the freshman as she took on a bigger role.

“Overall, our team stepped up to help her out when she was confused about her spot in rotation,” Smith said. “But it was a bit of a rocky start in that first set. Once we got the ball rolling, communication as well as serves were much better. We still have some adjustments to make before district, but the team is constantly improving each game.”

Standout performances from the Lady Eagles included Lynlee Deats, who “got some good digs,” as well as Emily Turner and Julie Henderson, who had “some great blocks and hits for all three sets.”

Lady Tigers Go 2-3 at Moody Tournament

The Oglesby volleyball team picked up two victories at the Moody Tournament this past weekend, defeating Holy Trinity and Hubbard to finish 2-3.

Coach Amanda Martin said her team had “some great play” at times during the three losses and said her team picked up another big win over the weekend.

“We also played Meridian on Friday and beat them in five sets,” Martin said. “Standouts for the week were Caitlyn Battreal and Presley Robinson.”