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North Hopkins senior Raylee Mathis goes for a block in their three-set sweep over Sam Rayburn. The Lady Panthers lost to Tom Bean after they swept Sam Rayburn Friday. Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
Beat Sam Rayburn in 3 sets
NORTH HOPKINS—The North Hopkins Lady Panthers hosted a pair of games against Sam Rayburn and Tom Bean Friday. The Lady Panthers entered the day coming off a 3-2 win against Pittsburg earlier in the week.
GAME ONE
North Hopkins played Sam Rayburn first and got off to a commanding 9-1 lead in the first set. The Lady Panthers kept their foot on the gas and grew their lead to 13-2 shortly after. The closeSt Sam Rayburn would make it would be 20-9 before North Hopkins went on a 5-1 run to take the set, 25-10.
Sam Rayburn took the first point in the second set, but North Hopkins took their lead back at 3-2 and never looked back. Leading 14-9, the Lady Panthers scored the final 11 points of the set, winning 25-9.
North Hopkins picked up where they left off to finish the second, scoring the first five points of the third set. Sam Rayburn went on a 4-1 run to make it 6-4, but that was as close as things would get. The Lady Panthers closed the set out on a 19-8 run, taking the set 25- 12 and beating Sam Rayburn in three straight sets.
GAME TWO
North Hopkins took on Tom Bean immediately after their win against Sam Rayburn and got off to a quick 4-1 lead in the opening set. The Lady Panthers held on to their lead until Sam Rayburn was able to tie it up at 13-13.
The two teams traded points until Tom Bean took the lead for good at 20-19. From there, they allowed just two more points and won the game, 25-21.
North Hopkins tried to bounce back in the second set, scoring the first five points. The Lady Panthers led for a huge majority of the set, with Sam Rayburn not taking their first lead until the score was 22-21.
The Lady Panthers were able to tie the game back up at 22-22, before Sam Rayburn took their lead back. North Hopkins got their final points of the set when they brought it to 24-23, but Sam Rayburn scored the final point, winning 25-23.
Tom Bean scored the first point of the third set and was quickly up 10- 3. North Hopkins picked things up and was able to cut the deficit to 14-8. That was as close as things would get, however, as Sam Rayburn finished the set strong, completing their three-set sweep with a final score of 25-17.
Coverage of the Lady Panthers Tuesday matchup against Sulphur Bluff will be in upcoming editions of the News-Telegram. North Hopkins plays again Friday at Dodd City. The Varsity will begin at 5 p.m. with the junior varsity to follow.