Lady Eagles cruise past Pearsall in bi-district


VON ORMY—The Pleasanton volleyball team had little trouble with its bi-district opponent Monday.

The Lady Eagles cruised past fourth-seed Pearsall 25-10, 25-17, 25-14 at Southwest Legacy High School to advance to the area playoffs.

“It feels very rewarding,” senior outside hitter Courtney Ridge said. “I’m glad that we get to continue on and our season’s not over yet.”

Pleasanton junior Laken McAda finished with a game-high 14 kills.

“I feel like our hard work has definitely paid off,” McAda said. “We’re ready for the next round.”

The Lady Eagles set the tone early with a 7-1 run to open the match.

Pleasanton used seven consecutive points to pull in front 22-7, and the Lady Mavericks did not threaten in the first set.

Pearsall had five service errors in the opening game, which became a theme for the match.

The Lady Mavericks finished with 13 service errors on the night.

McAda’s ace in the second set gave the Lady Eagles a 22-7 advantage, but Pearsall did not go down quietly.

The Lady Mavericks had their best showing to close the set, forcing two Pleasanton timeouts in the process.

Pearsall scored eight consecutive points to pull within 23-15, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

Ridge had five of her eight kills in the set and clinched the victory in the final game.

Junior Kaycie Shannon had three kills in the third set and finished with eight total. She also added three blocks.

Ridge and classmate Amber Guerra tied for the team lead with 10 digs. Madison McDonald chipped in with eight.

Guerra also led the team with 16 assists.

Pearsall’s Claire Leal had a team-high six kills.

Pleasanton has won eight in a row, which includes the final six district matches to secure the 30-4A championship.

Ridge said the Lady Eagles’ lone district loss at Poteet on Sept. 29 sparked the current run.

“After the whole Poteet loss, we all just kind of came together more and more,” she said. “We just don’t want that to happen to us again.”

Pleasanton will face the winner between West Oso and Port Isabel in the area round. The Lady Bears were runner-up in District 31-4A, and the Lady Tarpons finished as the third seed in 32-4A.

“We’re just going to have to play as a team and play how we know we can,” McAda said.

One thing is certain: the Lady Eagles aren’t ready to go home.

“I don’t think any of us want to see our season go away any sooner than it needs to,” Ridge said. “So I think we’re just all ready to do whatever it takes to continue.”

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