By Gene Schallenberg
After four long years, the Lady Dogs volleyball team finally ended its playoff drought.
But qualifying for the postseason wasn’t enough as New Waverly won its first-ever playoff match, defeating Hemphill in the bi-district round of the Class 2A playoffs.
The Lady Bulldogs had one of their best seasons in years. New Waverly finished in a two-way tie for second place in the district with Anderson-Shiro.
“It really was a strong group of girls,” New Waverly head coach Stacy Hill said. “They definitely saw how good they could be once they started to believe in themselves.”
Hard-hitting sophomore Brianna LeFlore, who led the Lady Dogs in kill percentage, was named as District 21-2A’s Newcomer of the Year.
“Whenever Bri came in, she always gave us a boost,” Hill said. “She definitely stood out to a lot of coaches.”
Helping to lead the Lady Bulldogs to the area round of the playoffs were seniors Mallory Eastland and Alena Salinas. Eastland and Salinas landed on the All-District 21-2A first team.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of Mal and Alena,” Hill said. “Those two were our team leaders. Whenever we would get in a bind, Mal and Alena rallied the girls together. They’re very deserving of this achievement.”
Sophomore libero Kali Pavelock, who was the 2008 Newcomer of the Year, and sophomore Alex Abbott were tabbed to the second team.
“Alex was an excellent server for us all year,” Hill said. “Kali, I thought, should have been on the first team at least.
“All the girls did really well. You wish every one of your girls would be on the first team. I think it’s a good thing that they’re getting recognized for their hard work.”
New Waverly will lose six seniors, including Eastland and Salinas, but Hill thinks she’ll have another strong team next fall.
“We’ve got a good group of returning players,” the coach added. “The girls are still stuck on volleyball and that’s a good thing. We’re hoping to make even further progress next fall.”
