THRALL – Two weeks into the 2023 season, the Thrall Tigerettes varsity team remains unbeaten. The Tigerettes ran their season record to 9-0 Tuesday night after a 25-23, 25-17, 25-8 sweep of the Lexington Lady Eagles (5-5).
Melaina Grissom and Brynn Leschber combined for 18 kills in the sweep, but the Tigerettes also saw solid efforts by Amber Kevil and Emily Holybee.
“I thought we played pretty well in most areas,” said Thrall Coach Bethany Grissom. “But, we had more service errors than I would like to see, and we made a few mistakes that we need to correct.”
Thrall did not trail in the opening set until the late going. The Tigerettes, behind the net play of Melaina Grissom and Leschber, built a 9-4 lead early and led by as many as six midway through the set. But, Lexington was able to chip away at the lead and eventually took a 22-21 lead following a kill by Macie Blok. A series of Lady Eagle errors allowed Thrall to regain the lead, and take the first set.
“Lexington really pushed us in that first set,” said Coach Grissom. “They are a younger team, but they played well.”
In the second set, Lexington was able to keep it close early, trailing just 9-7, but Holybee led the Tigerettes on a 5-0 run, serving up three aces that gave Thrall a 14-7 advantage. The Tigerettes continued to expand their lead with short runs, taking advantage of multiple Lexington miscues and dominant net play. Kevil’s kill to the back corner sealed the second set for the Tigerettes.
The outcome of the final set was never in question. Thrall led 4-0, and eventually built an 11-1 advantage. The Tigerettes continued to expand their lead and closed out the sweep. Leschber, Melaina Grissom, Nevaeh Irvin, and Kevil had key hits in the final set to help Thrall to the win.
“We are getting good play from several players,” Coach Grissom said. “We are able to bring in players from the bench, and not lose that much. That gives us a big advantage in tough matches.”
Tigerettes varsity will be out of town Aug. 17-19 at the Tournament on the Bay hosted by Bay City High School.
