Ladycats win-streak moves to eight

After going 4-0 at the Arlington Invitational over the weekend where Kinley Elms was named MVP and Alyssa Todd received all-tournament honors, the Ladycats returned to Aledo to host Paschal’s Lady Panthers on Tuesday, Aug. 29. Aledo won the match in four sets by scores of 25-15, 25-16, 20-25, and 25-23.

The win over Paschal marks the eighth in a row for the Ladycat netters. With the win, Aledo (18-6) officially cracked the Top 15 in the 5A state rankings.

Freshman outside hitter, Kaelee Berkley elevates for a spike during Tuesday, Aug 29 varsity volleyball action against Paschall.

The No. 14 ranked Ladycats dominated Paschal in the first two sets. The offense ran like a well-oiled machine with Ava Reding setting up her hitters to execute for the finish. Elms and Kaelee Berkley were efficient in their attacks from the outside as they drilled home point after point like a pair of snipers. 

Defensively, Haley Lowe came up with a pair of early blocks at the net while Kenrie Pruitt refused to let the ball touch the hardwood. 

Up two sets already, Aledo started off the third set a bit sloppier than they’d played in the match to that point. Paschal managed to get out to an early lead before eventually taking the set to make it 2-1 heading into the fourth.

In what ended up being the most tightly contested set of the match, Aledo came away with the win in the set, and the win in the match by a 25-23 score.

Juniors Haley Lowe and Kinley Elms rally the Ladycats at the start of the match with Paschall on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Elms led the Ladycats with 18 kills on the night. Berkley added another 13. Todd and Ella Isbell added another nine and eight kills, respectively.

Pruitt was an absolute machine for the Ladycat defense. She led the way with 22 digs in the match. Behind her in the stat sheet, Todd and Reding picked up 14 digs each. Ella Meador tallied 13 digs of her own, and Natalie Anderson rounded out the stat with 11.

On top of having 14 digs in the match, Reding led the Ladycats in assists, as well, with 34.  

Isbell added four blocks to her stat line for the evening to lead in the category for Aledo. Lowe had three of her own. Skyler Lambert added a pair of blocks, as well.

The Ladycats head back out on the road on Friday, Sept. 1 as they take on Highland Park. The hosting Lady Scots sit at 13-11 thus far in the season. Varsity action in that match is slated for a 6 p.m. start.