Girls varsity volleyball ended the third set with an 11 point lead over University, and became the first sports team at Hagerty to win six consecutive district titles.

On Oct. 14 the girls varsity volleyball team defeated University 3-0 (25-7, 25-18, 25-14). The road to a district championship was different this year, as a blind seeding draw was put into effect at the beginning of the season. This gave University a bye and straight path to the district finals.

“We did well working together as a team and pushing hard the entire time in order to not drop a set,” setter Kyla Mullen said.

Head coach Juanita Hitt picked up on University’s weak middle presence and took advantage of it in the first set.

“We did a good job keeping the ball in play so that we can minimize the errors on our side of the court,” hitter Madison Drewry said.

Hitter Olivia Price and hitter Brooke Stephens led the team with 11 kills, while Mullen led with 22 assists.

Prior to the championship match, Hagerty beat Timber Creek 3-0 (28-26, 25-22, 25-13) in the district semi-finals. Both hitter Alina Carrillo and Stephens got 16 kills, and Stephens also led the team with 17 digs as well, and Mullen had 25 assists.

“Timber Creek was definitely a harder first game but, we had a strategy going in to serve deep to avoid their strong middle,” Hitt said.

After winning the 7A District 7 tournament the team has now advanced to the state playoffs. The team beat Boone in the regional quarterfinal on Oct. 21 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-17, 25-18), but with each victory, the team must deal with the expectations carried over from last season’s state title.

“The pressure is definitely something that looms in the back of my head. I think it’s important that we take each game one at a time instead of thinking about the bigger picture of winning states,” Drewry said.