Lady Cats get back in win column

The Sulphur Springs Lady Cats hosted Longview Pine Tree Friday, looking to snap a two-game losing streak after dropping backto-back games to Texas High and Marshall. This was their second match against Pine Tree this season, as they won their first match in straight sets back on Tuesday, Sept. 21.

Senior Brooklynn Burnside helped get things started for the Lady Cats, coming up with a kill early in the first set. Sulphur Springs used the momentum and had full control of the remainder of the set. With the score 24-18, junior Addisyn Wall put the set away with a kill as the Lady Cats took the opening set.

Wall kept her strong play going in the second set, scoring the first Sulphur Springs point with another kill. AJ Dodd followed with a kill of her own, before Parris Pickett scored on back-to-back aces to take a 4-1 lead early in the second set.

Later in the set with Sulphur Springs firmly in control, Burnside picked up a block to give her team a 23-10 lead. The Lady Cats scored the next two points, taking the set by a final score of 25-10.

Junior Mali Maeker set the tone in the third set, serving an ace to take a 2-1 lead. Crimson Bryant came up big with a pair of blocks to push the Sulphur Springs lead to 11-5. Sulphur Springs finished the set strong, finishing their straight set win with a 25-14 final set.

Burnside and Wall were the leaders offensively, finishing with 11 kills and nine kills respectively. The two combined for over half of the team’s 39 kills in the game.

Senior Peyton Hammack had a strong game, finishing with a total of 28 assists. Hammack also had five digs, a team-high four blocks and five kills.

Defensively it was Maeker who led the way, racking up 11 of the teams 44 digs. Pickett and Laney Hurst were right behind her with nine digs and eight digs respectively.

The win improves the Lady Cats to 18-14 this season and 6-4 in district play. Sulphur Springs has a playoff spot secured, but still has time to improve their seeding, as they are currently the fourth seed and just one game behind Hallsville for third place.

Coverage of their Friday matchup against Hallsville will be published in next Wednesday’s edition of the News-Telegram. Their final regular season game is Tuesday on the road against Longview, who they beat 3-2 the first time around.