GARLAND — The Schulenburg High School volleyball team fell to Iola High School in the semifinal round of the UIL State Volleyball Tournament Nov. 15 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland by a fi nal score of 19-25, 20-25, 25-19, 2225. As this game was pretty evenly matched, Iola found ways to put the ball down and produce a little more offense in order to come out with the win. “I think Iola being as good as they are, they make it hard for you to settle in,” said Schulenburg head volleyball coach Donald Zapalac.
“We wanted to make sure we played the way we’re capable of playing our game. Pass the ball a little better, get some quality hitters involved, but Iola makes that really tough.”
Senior libero Kieryn Adams put up a state-record 41 digs for the match, breaking the record of not just 2A, but all six classifications.
“It’s amazing,” Adams said. “I try to do everything I can for my team.
That was my ultimate goal the whole match, to do what my team needed and that’s what I did to get that record.”
An ace from Schulenburg tied the score at six in the first set before Iola went on to tally six points in a row. The Lady Horns fought back and made it 16-14 on a kill by Reagan Walker and a ball out of bounds from Iola, then a kill from Iola senior outside hitter Lindsey Gooch and an ace from Iola put it at 22-18. Another kill and two more aces from Iola won them the set 25-19.
The second set was back and forth all the way until the very end when the Lady Bulldogs scored seven of the last eight points, which consisted of four aces. Schulenburg outside hitters Jessalyn Gipson and Emmrie Marx both had a huge set as they racked up a bunch of kills to keep the Lady Horns in it. This set could be gone either way, but Iola powered through towards the end with two aces and a kill from junior middle hitter Sydney Nevill to ultimately win the set 25-20.
Iola started fast in the third set with a 5-0 lead on another kill from Nevill, an ace, block, and ball in the net from Schulenburg. A ball out of bounds from the Lady Horns put Iola ahead 10-4, then Schulenburg notched four consecutive points, forcing the Lady Bulldogs to call timeout after the Jumbotron read 11-9. A kill from Schulenburg senior middle hitter Meredith Magliolo tied the set at 13, which led to another kill from Magliolo and a block from the Lady Horns to give them a 16-13 lead. The Lady Horns called timeout after Iola climbed back and made it 18-17 after a ball out of bounds from Schulenburg, which was followed by another kill from Meredith and four more kills from Marx, including the game-winner for a 25-19 set win.
The fourth set was neck-and neck again until the Lady Bulldogs grabbed a 16-12 lead after an ace and another point. A kill from Iola’s Gooch made it 20-16 before Schulenburg rallied back and put it at 22-20 after a ball out of bounds from Iola. A tip, kill, and ball out of bounds from Schulenburg ended up winning the set and match for Iola at 25-22.
