EARLY – The Early Lady Horns shined at times, but a lack of consistency prevented head coach Missy Vaughn’s squad from achieving a second consecutive District 8-3A volleyball victory as they fell in straight sets at home to Breckenridge, 25-13, 25-21, 25-17 Tuesday night.
“There was a lot of good effort in the ball game,” Vaughn said. “It was back and forth there for a while and we would do some great things, then there would be a couple of calls that we couldn’t come back from and that hurt us.”
Early was led offensive by Matty Boswell’s six kills followed by two each from Hadalee Saunders and Grey Pruett and one apiece by Karley Smith, Jenna Hataway, Jensyn Rasor, Piper Pedersen, and Gabby Leal.
Pruett dished out 12 assists and Hataway was credited with one, while Boswell and Rasor each served an ace.
Defensively, Hataway registered eight digs while Boswell and Gabby Benson tallied one apiece.
At the net, Dakota Barksdale and Rasor each collected a block.
Early got off to a slow start in the first set, surrendering the first five points and the Lady Horns never recovered. Breckenridge was able to gradually stretch its lead to double figures at 17-7, and continued to pull away.
The second set saw several momentum changes and Early owned a 17-15 advantage at one point. A Breckenridge spike that pushed the Lady Bucks ahead 18-17 struck Saunders in the head and she left the game after requiring medical attention as the blow brought her to knees. Breckenridge went on to tally seven of the final 11 points.
Vaughn was unsure of the extent of the injury to Saunders, who later returned to the bench after being taken into the locker room by trainers, but did not play the rest of the match.
Tied at 10 in the finale, Early witnessed Breckenridge reel off four quick points to regain the momentum. The Lady Horns were able to close the gap to 16-15, but Breckenridge finished with a flourish as a 9-2 spurt capped the sweep.
The Lady Horns (8-8, 1-1) are back in action at noon Saturday when they visit 8-3A rival Dublin.
As for what Vaughn wants to see improved, she said, “With our next district rivals that we’re playing, we’ll need to pick up the tempo.”
