EARLY – Entering Tuesday night’s District 8-3A volleyball match one game behind fourth-place Breckenridge – which owns a potential head-to-head tiebreaker – with three contests left, the Early Lady Horns needed to play their best ball down the stretch to make a playoff run.
Instead, the Lady Horns were stunned by Eastland – which Early defeated in five sets the first time around in district action – by a 25-21, 25-12, 25-20 count on Senior Night.
The loss drops Lady Horns (12-14, 5-7) into a fifth-place tie with Eastland (8-21, 5-7) with just two matches remaining. Tuesday’s result may have eliminated Early from playoff contention as well as a win by Breckenridge (12-13, 6-5) over third-place Millsap Tuesday night would put the Lady Horns two games back with two to go, and no chance of winning a tiebreaker with the Lady Bucks.
The closing schedule for the Lady Horns gets no easier as Early has district matches remaining at second-place Brock at noon Saturday and at third-place Millsap at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Against Eastland, Hadalee Saunders recorded 10 kills for Early followed by Dakota Barksdale and Jensyn Rasor with four each, Matty Boswell with three and Gabby Leal with two.
Grey Pruett distributed 21 assists trailed by Jenna Hataway and Rasor with one apiece. Rasor also served Early’s only ace.
Defensively, Hataway and Boswell both finished with six digs trailed by Saunders with three, Barksdale with two and Pruett and Brooklyn McCullough with one each.
At the net, Rasor chalked up the lone block.
