The Brownwood Lady Lions put together a four-match winning streak at the Heart of Texas volleyball tournament over the weekend before Early halted the run in the gold-bracket championship match Saturday. The tournament performance brought Brownwood’s overall season record to 6-6.
Brownwood is scheduled to return to the court Tuesday at Fredericksburg and then compete in the Godley tournament from Thursday through Saturday, giving the Lady Lions another busy stretch immediately after their home tournament.
Brownwood builds four-match winning streak
The Lady Lions opened the tournament by sweeping Bangs, Brady and Richland Springs on Thursday. Brownwood then extended its winning streak to four matches with a 25-20, 25-19 victory against Coleman.
The Coleman match remained close late in the first set. Brownwood trailed 19-18 before Kimber McLean’s kill tied the score and helped spark a 7-1 closing run. Kaydence Chandler added an ace, while Demayha Hooker contributed two kills during the decisive finish.
The second set also stayed competitive until Brownwood pulled away. With the score tied at 17, a Chandler kill started a five-point run that gave the Lady Lions a 22-17 lead. Chandler and Lexi Driskill also figured into the surge with a block and a kill, respectively.
Second-year head coach Kristen Grimes said the team’s progress has been especially visible in its defensive digging, passing and ability to work together during matches.
“We’ve been putting in a lot of work in the gym, really focusing on working as a team and building each other up during matches,” said Lady Lions second-year head coach Kristen Grimes.
Grimes also said Brownwood’s passing has improved compared with last season and that the team is continuing to develop.
“I told them we’re playing some good volleyball, we’re digging volleyballs we weren’t digging this time last year, we’re passing well compared to last year. I don’t always want to compare us to last year, but we’re building something here so it’s nice to look back and see where we were at this time last year and how much we’ve grown.”
Early wins championship rematch
The championship match marked Brownwood’s second meeting with Early this season. The undefeated Early Lady Horns again came away with the victory, winning 25-12, 25-18 and extending their winning streak to 12 matches.
Brownwood stayed even with Early at 5-5 in the opening set after a Driskill kill, but Early scored nine of the next 10 points to take a 14-6 advantage. The Lady Lions were unable to close the gap for the remainder of the set.
The second set produced a stronger response from Brownwood. The Lady Lions led 13-10 after a four-point run that included an Adyn Lucas kill and a Chandler block. The teams then battled through ties at 13, 14, 15 and 16 before Hooker’s kill gave Brownwood its final lead at 17-16.
Early answered with the next eight points, building a 24-17 cushion before finishing the match. Grimes said Brownwood’s ball control improved in the second set, but Early’s late adjustment disrupted the Lady Lions’ rhythm.
“We didn’t pass very well that first match, and when you don’t pass well it shows in the score,” Grimes said.
She added that passing is not the responsibility of only one group of players, but emphasized the importance of ball control in allowing Brownwood to use its attackers effectively.
“I’m not trying to put everything on the passers, but ball control plays a very important role in volleyball. They fixed it in the second set and committed to doing our job on our side. But Early made an adjustment toward the end of the set that threw our girls for a loop, so credit to them for throwing that in there and putting us on our heels.”
Next matches bring demanding schedule
After Tuesday’s match at Fredericksburg, Brownwood will play in the Godley tournament Thursday through Saturday. Grimes said the team will need to maintain its focus through the extended schedule and respond more quickly when opponents create pressure.
“We have a busy, long week next week, but I want to see some grit and some fight,” Grimes said.
The coach said the Lady Lions have sometimes taken too long to recover after being pushed out of their rhythm and warned that fatigue could become a factor by the end of the week.
“We’re going to be tired by the end of next week, so we have to have that mental toughness to push through.”