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Sulphur Springs' Peyton Hammack sets a pass for Brooklynn Burnside. Hammack had an excellent outing for the Lady Cats, finishing in team-high's in assists (34), digs (23) and aces (7) in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Texas High. Staff photo by Tyler Lennon
Hammack leads with 34 assists, 23 digs, 7 aces
The Sulphur Springs Lady Casts hosted Texas High for their first in a pair of matches this season. The Lady Cats entered the game as winners of three straight, including their district opener against Mount Pleasant.
The opening set was a back-and-forth affair that saw the two teams matching each other in points. Junior Addisyn Wall helped give the Lady Cats a 10-9 lead with a kill. Unfortunately for Sulphur Spring, Texas High put together a strong run that helped them create some separation. Senior Brooklynn Burnside tried to keep her team in it with a big block late in the set, but the Lady Cats ultimately dropped the first set by a score of 25-20.
It was another Burnside block that gave Sulphur Springs some momentum early in the second set, giving them a 6-4 lead. Later in the set, with things tied 16-16, senior Peyton Hammack found Burnside for a big kill to give them the lead.
A couple possessions later it was senior Kaslyn Hurley who was on the receiving end on a Hammack assist to take an 18-17 lead. Senior Myssiah Dugan also got a kill late in the set, but Texas High would once again come out on top in a close 25-22 set.
With their backs against the wall, the Lady Cats had to have a win in the third set to give themselves a chance. With just a two-point lead late, Hammack came in clutch with a big block. Just a few possessions later Crimson Bryant scored on a kill, helping the Lady Cats take the set by a score of 26-24.
With the momentum of the third set, and a chance to still win, Sulphur Springs continued their strong play in the fourth set. An early ace from Burnside helped control the pace. Later in the set, with a 24-22 lead, Burnside put the set away with a block, forcing a fifth set.
Things were very close to open the fifth and deciding set. Dugan tied the game up at 10-10 with a big block, as the Lady Cats tried to pull out a fourth-consecutive win. Hammack followed her up with an ace which gave Sulphur Springs the lead, before Texas High pulled off a great comeback to take the set 15-13, giving them the 3-2 win.
Dugan and Burnside led the way offensively, both finishing in double-digits in kills. Dugan had 13 kills and six blocks, while Burnside had 11 kills and an impressive 13 blocks.
Hammack had one of the strongest performances of the year so far, leading the team in a number of categories. The Lady Cats senior had 34 of the team’s 39 assists, as well as team-high’s in digs (23) and aces (7). She also had a pair of kills.
Sulphur Springs had a number of strong defensive performances, having five players finish in double-digit digs. Junior Laney Hurst finished behind Hammack with 16, while Parris Pickett had 15, AJ Dodd had 12 and Mali Maeker had 10. Kinslei Smallwood also added eight digs, while Wall had seven.
Despite finishing just short of pulling off a great home comeback, the Lady Cats still have a ton of momentum moving forward. As winners in five of their last eight games, they will hope to carry their momentum into next week, when they have just one game.
The Lady Cats travel to Pine Tree Tuesday, where the freshman and junior varsity teams will begin at 5 p.m. with the varsity to follow. Friday Sulphur Springs will have their first bye in district play, giving them a chance to catch their breath and prepare for the remainder of their schedule.
Coverage of their Friday match against Marshall will be published in Wednesday’s edition of the News-Telegram.