Lady Tigers open season with two wins

If Friday's play by the Encampment Lady Tigers was any indication of what the rest of their season will look like, the team will go far in the 1A division this fall.

The Lady Tigers varsity team won both of their matches Friday against 1A Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow (HEM) and 2A Saratoga Lady Panthers.

In junior varsity play, the Tigers fell in two sets against the Lady Panthers. The score was 19-25 in both sets.

The varsity line up for the Lady Tigers was changed for Friday's game, as sisters Alyssa and Hailey Barkhurst are recovering from whiplash they received in a car wreck.

"They have been released by the doctor, but I want to gradually work them back in," Encampment Lady Tigers Head Coach Robin O'Leary said Friday after the match against the Saratoga Lady Panthers.

Filling in for Hailey Friday were Macayla Wilder, Miciah Pantle to replace her in the front row and a Labero, Kaylyn Herring, to replace her in the back row.

The Lady Tigers won their first set against HEM Lady Miners 25 to 23 Friday afternoon.

The Lady Tigers had a strong lead against the Lady Miners Friday afternoon, winning their second set 25-14. By this time, the Lady Miners had played six sets, four against Saratoga and two against the Lady Tigers.

In the third set against conference rival HEM, the Lady Miners took the lead, but it didn't take long for the Lady Tigers to tie the score. The set was a nail biter as HEM took the lead by 5 points. Not to be beat, the Lady Tigers stepped up and tied the game at 24. At a tied score of 25, the Tigers pulled out two points thanks to McKenzie Powell's block and a tip to earn the final to points for a score of 27 - 25.

The Lady Tigers won their match in four sets against the 2A Saratoga Lady Panthers.

In the first set, the Lady Tigers had an easy win against the Lady Panthers 25 - 14. In the second set, the Lady Panthers ramped up their offense and took an early lead, but it didn't take long for the Lady Tigers to change their defense and move past the Lady Panthers. The Lady Tigers ran the score board up to 24 to Saratoga's 17, but then had to earn the last point before pulling off the win 25-17.

In the third set, the Lady Panthers once again took the lead against the Lady Tigers. The Panthers had 7 points on the board before the Tigers got their first point.

The Lady Panthers seemed to have the set won, with a score of 24-13, when the Lady Tigers once again stepped up and gained 8 points while keeping the Lady Panthers from scoring the winning point. The Tigers finally succumbed to the Lady Panthers 21 - 25.

"I was really proud of the team, I think we were down 4 - 17 at one point and we could have easily said, 'Let's get out of this game and move on'," O'Leary said. "They came back and fought for each point."

By the end of the third set, O'Leary knew the girls were back in the game. She told them to just keep going with what they were doing as they entered the third set.

The fourth set proved to be the best of the day as the Lady Tigers and Lady Panthers mustered all they could for the win. The set remained tied through most of the game, keeping the audience on edge. The Lady Tigers pulled off the win 25-20.

"I was very, very pleased. We worked on fundamentals a lot for the first two weeks and it showed," O'Leary said.

She also talked with the team about focusing when the gym is very loud, and Friday afternoon, the gym was loud as the football players led the cheers for the Saratoga Lady Panthers.

She also talked with the players about not letting the crowd influence them. "I had three freshman on the floor for the final game, and they did a beautiful job," O'Leary said. "I was really proud of our leaders, Cassidy (Little) and McKenzie. They really stepped up and made those girls feel like part of the team."

O'Leary said she is looking forward to the season. The Lady Tigers will play Friday and Saturday at the Saratoga Invite.

 

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