If there was the slightest thought that all the strength and conditioning sessions during the summer months aren't worth it, the Harker Heights and Killeen volleyball teams Tuesday night demonstrated just how valuable those extra hours can be.
The Lady Knights and Lady Roos tapped into their energy and effort reservoirs during their District 12-6A opener, challenging one another point for point until Harker Heights did just enough to squeak by for victory in an ultra-competitive 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-22 match at KHS.
“I saw that work that we’ve been putting in all preseason, and I definitely saw that they have the drive to go out there and play every single set. They told me they wanted it, and I told them to go out there and show me,” KHS head coach Johnetta Preston said.
“They definitely showed me that they want it, that they want to put their names in the hat and they want to do better than we have in the past.”
For more photos of the match, click here.
Sanu Falaniko and Tatianna Graves each landed 15 kills for the Lady Knights (12-14 overall record), who are coming off a 2024 campaign during which they advanced to the area round of the playoffs. Mileyana Hopkins added nine kills, and LaDaejah Edwards and Tiarra Harris each had four service aces.
“We had a lot of pivotal seniors graduate last year but we have some young players who have stepped in and we are working at it,” Harker Heights head coach Crystal Bennett said. “There are some growing pains but I think that we have what we need to be successful and make it to the playoffs.”
Neither side allowed runs that extended much past five points, and in each set the team that ended up getting to 25 first had to find their way there in comeback fashion.
The Lady Roos (12-16), who’ve already eclipsed their win total from a season ago and have a pair of top-three tournament finishes under their belts, laced up the rally shoes in Game 1.
Olivia Harris’ ace tied the set at 13-all, KHS took its first lead at 15-14 and held on for the 25-22 win and 1-0 match lead.
“Their goal for the match was to go out there and take the first set to set themselves up in a good position,” said Preston, whose front row attack was led by Mackenna Dempsey, Payton DuPont, Aaliyah Abddeen, Jakara Ballard, K’Liyah Triplett and Precious Tauiliili. “That’s exactly what they did.”
Set 2 looked to be headed toward Killeen’s corner after Ballard’s kill made it 13-7. The Lady Knights, though, chipped away at the deficit and caught KHS at 21-21 following an ace from Alviana McGoley. Falaniko’s block point made it 22-21 and four points later, HHHS evened the match.
The Lady Roos and Lady Knights took turns fighting off deficits in the third set. KHS overcame an early 15-9 hole and took the lead, 19-18, with an ace from Triplett. Harker Heights, however, registered seven of the next 11 points to jump ahead 2-1 in the match.
“We have to minimize the small errors when we have those leads and learn to not play too cautious and continue to attack,” Preston said.
Dempsey finished the match with 15 kills, DuPont had eight, Abddeen six and Triplett five for The Lady Roos, who also got 19 assists from Harris and 13 more from Yanelis Williams.
Aiming to force a fifth-and-final set, Killeen jumped out to a 10-4 lead in Game 4, but Harker Heights developed some late momentum and closed out the contest.
“It shows that we have heart, but I need them to have the confidence, too. We’ll get there,” Bennett said. “Kudos to Killeen. They were scrappy, they hustled and they did what they needed to do.”
Both teams resume 12-6A action Friday. The Lady Knights play at Shoemaker while Killeen has a non-district match at Rogers.
Also diving into 12-6A action Tuesday night was Shoemaker, which played at defending district champion Waco Midway. The hosts prevailed in three sets.
District 16-5A
The Lady Eagles and reigning champ Chaparral begin district play Sept. 23.
For now, non-district play continues. EHS took a second consecutive Class 6A opponent the distance Tuesday night when it fell just shy against Temple 20-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-23, 15-13. The Lady Eagles also went five against Copperas Cove last Friday.
Meanwhile, the Lady Bobcats dropped a three-set match to Georgetown Gateway on Tuesday night. They have non-district matches lined up against China Spring and Wimberley over the next week before their 16-5A opener at Waco University.