Lady Blues make incredible run in Lu Allen tourney, earn second place News Staff Tue, 08/27/2024 - 10:20 am
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Graham Lady Blues pose with their runner-up plaque for their second place finish at the Lu Allen Memorial Tournament. The team fell to Boyd in the championship but had three players named to the All-Tournament Team: Camden Thorne, Braylee Mayes and Lillian Noble. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Seniors Annemarie McHenry (9) and Lillian Noble (11) jump together at the net for a block attempt during Graham’s match against Lindsay in their first game of bracket play at the Lu Allen Memorial Tournament. The Lady Blues made it all the way to the championship game and took second place overall. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s backline prepares to receive a serve during a pool play game of the Lu Allen Memorial Tournament. From left to right are junior Kaden Atwood, senior Braylee Mayes and sophomore Katie McGehee. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham senior Braylee Mayes leaps to tap the ball over to the opponent’s side during one of the team’s bracket games at the Lu Allen Memorial Tournament. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham volleyball’s bench lets out a loud cheer following a point during one of the team’s pool play matches of the Lu Allen Memorial Tournament last weekend. The Lady Blues finished second overall out of all 30 teams in the field.
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TC Gordon sports@grahamleader.com
Another successful Lu Allen Memorial Tournament has come to a close, and the Graham Lady Blues ended the weekend with one of their best finishes in years as they took second place.
Thirty teams from around different areas of Texas met at the high school and junior high school for an intense two days of competition. Teams played four games in pool play Friday, Aug. 23 before getting divided into brackets Saturday, Aug. 24.
Graham went perfect through Pool A to set the team up for success in the gold bracket. The Lady Blues not only went 4-0 in their four pool games, they didn’t lose a single set against any of their opponents.
That incredible streak continued through the first portion of bracket play Saturday as Graham swept Lindsay and Shallowater to get into one of the semifinal matches. After dominating most of their opponents all weekend, the Lady Blues ran into a challenge against Pool B runner-up Peaster.
After Graham won set one 29-27 and had a lead in set two, Peaster fought back to give the Lady Blues their first set loss of the weekend 25-23. It didn’t get the team down as they composed themselves and pulled out a 25-22 set three win to propel them to the championship match against Boyd.
By that time, fatigue set in from the emotional, mental and physical toll of the semifinal game. Boyd came in well rested after having over an hour since the conclusion of their semifinal match while the Lady Blues had about 15 minutes following their win over Peaster.
The Lady Jackets took the championship match in two sets 25-18 and 25-21 to claim first place while the Lady Blues earned a hard-fought second place.
“In 11 years, I’ve only been in (the championship) game twice. I said (to my team) that speaks volumes of your skill level and how good you guys can really be this season,” Faulk said. “I told them, ‘Don’t hang your heads because you lost; We had a good run. We went 4-for-4 (in pool play), 7-1 in two days. And we played quality teams. We played some tough volleyball.’ And so I said, ‘Learn from it, grow from it, and let’s just keep going one game at a time.’”
One of the primary takeaways from the weekend, apart from the incredible streak of set wins and the overall second place, was the growth that occurred for Faulk’s team.
“From the first serve yesterday until the final point today, we made great strides and that’s what you want in a tournament,” Faulk said. “Of course, we all want to win it all, but it just doesn’t work out that way sometimes. But I told them to be proud. Be proud of how you fought. A lot of people wouldn’t have picked us to be in the championship game. I knew we belonged.”
The Lady Blues made it as far as they did due to a true team effort in each and every game. While the experienced seniors led the way, up and down the roster the girls made plays which contributed to the weekend’s success.
For three of the Lady Blues in particular, their contributions were noted by more than just their own fans. Seniors Braylee Mayes, Lillian Noble and Camden Thorne were named to the All-Tournament Team for their play over the two days of competition.
Listed below are scores from each match of pool and bracket play with cumulative stats for each day of matches. Some results may include a note or two about the game, as well.
Pool Play
Graham defeated Borger 2-0 (25-14, 25-18)
Graham defeated Archer City 2-0 (25-12, 25-13)
Graham defeated Caprock 2-0 (25-17, 25-22)
Graham defeated City View 2-0 (25-17, 25-12)
Stat leaders: Lillian Noble had 30 kills, 13 aces and 13 blocks; Braylee Mayes had 16 kills, 40 digs, four blocks and two aces; Kaden Atwood had 45 digs and seven aces; Camden Thorne had 37 assists, 23 digs and three aces; Kya Cooper had 32 assists, nine digs and two aces.
The Lady Blues faced few difficulties in beating their pool opponents. While Graham tended to a few slow starts in some sets, it often didn’t take long before the team pulled away, which led to some lopsided scores.
Bracket Play
Graham defeated Lindsay 2-0 (25-15, 25-20)
Graham defeated Shallowater 2-0 (25-16, 25-19)
Graham defeated Peaster 2-1 (29-27, 23-25, 25-22)
Graham lost to Boyd 2-0 (18-25, 21-25)
Stat leaders: Lillian Noble had 35 kills, 34 digs, nine blocks and four aces; Braylee Mayes had 24 kills, 44 digs, 10 blocks and two aces; Emi Gordy had 10 kills and six blocks; Kaden Atwood had 49 digs and two aces.
Camden Thorne recorded 45 assists and 22 digs; Kya Cooper had 42 assists and eight aces; Annemarie McHenry had nine kills and four aces; Rylee Moore ended with eight kills and four blocks; Madison Cauble finished with five kills and 10 digs.
Despite the unwanted result in the championship match, Graham had an excellent weekend of volleyball. The Lady Blues improved from game to game and Faulk knows the experience from every game over the weekend will benefit the team moving forward the rest of the season.
“The growth that’s taking place, I thought we played relaxed all weekend and even…in the second set against Shallowater. They had the lead at times, and it was tight, but our team never got stressed and played tight. They stayed relaxed and confident,” Faulk said. “That’s why they were able to perform at the level they were, and that’s an improvement.”
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