“They were definitely not the same team that we had played previously,” Taylor firstyear head coach Rylee Davis said. “We went down 0-2 and then the pressure was on, but luckily the girls have proven to do rather well with comebacks this year.”
Taylor’s one-two punch of seniors Hannah Wamble and Ansley Reed had double-digit kills apiece. Wamble had 11 kills to go along with 14 digs and 18 serves received, while Reed had 10 kills and two blocked shots.
Junior Haley Harms stepped up in the later stages of the match as she had six kills to go along with 16 serves received and nine digs. Junior Katelyn Aderhold had five kills and two blocks and sophomore Peyton Wamble had a team-high 16 assists.
“Heading into the third set, we talked a lot about how hard it is to beat people twice,” Davis said. “With us potentially battling for the district title, the target is on our backs and teams are going to raise their level of play to take us down and we cannot slip up again. We all agreed that if we ever lose a game, it would never be due to work ethic and then they dug deep to stay more disciplined and pursue balls harder.”
Three unsung heroes for Taylor are senior Camryn Nunamaker, sophomore Makenna Watson and senior Ri’Queleigh Holmes-Grant.
Nunamaker had a teamhigh 18 digs to go along with 11 assists, Watson had 40 serves received with 12 digs and Holmes-Grant received 25 serves with five digs.
“Makenna, Camryn and Ri’Queleigh continue to improve defensively,” Davis said. “Makenna is very calm and controls the court well with her high volleyball IQ, Camryn is explosive and gets balls up that nobody expects and Ri’Queleigh has become very methodical in her approach to defense and why she has started to make certain movements.”
The Lady Ducks (26-12 overall record and 8-1 in district play) have perhaps their biggest match of the year at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17 as Taylor hosts Giddings High School at The Duck Pond. Prior to their Friday match against Smithville High School, the Giddings Lady Buffaloes were undefeated at 8-0 in district play and had edged Taylor 3-2 in five sets back on Sep. 22.
“After slipping up against them last time, we have to focus on maintaining composure through the highs and lows,” Davis said. “I think we have a good understanding of who their offensive threats are and who we really need to focus on shutting down early. Looking back at film from last time, we let a few too many little things slide and it ended up hurting us in the end. This time we should be prepared mentally to battle from point No. 1 and hopefully end with the win.”
