Lady Blues volleyball opens summer league News Staff Sun, 06/09/2024 - 11:43 am
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s Kaden Atwood digs out a ball during one of the volleyball team’s first games of a summer league Monday, June 3. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Senior Georgia Martin hits a ball towards a teammate during one of Graham’s games at the first night of a volleyball summer league Monday, June 3. 
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham senior Braylee Mayes sets herself up to serve the ball during the Lady Blues’ volleyball game of a summer league at Graham High School this past Monday, June 3.
TC Gordon sports@grahamleader.com
Although summer break began just a couple weeks ago, fall sports seasons will be here before you know it and volleyball season is one of the first to kick things off.
This week, the Lady Blues high school volleyball players began their work for the upcoming season as part of a summer league against various schools in the surrounding area. Graham’s varsity, junior varsity and freshman players all saw time on the courts during the first week of this league which runs each Monday through June 24.
As with summer leagues for other sports, though the competition aspect is real, teams play with modified rules. This is primarily an opportunity for both returning and incoming players to begin to gel with their teammates as everyone works towards the games that matter in the fall.
Each game is only 25 minutes in length with a running clock the entire time. There are no sets and the score continues to run up until time expires. Officials keep time, score and lines as best they can and a 20-point mercy rule will exist. Teams can continue to play if one side is up by 20 or more, but the score won’t be kept past that point.
In the varsity division, Graham has two teams while also facing off against Breckenridge, Perrin, Woodson, two Mineral Wells teams, Windthorst, Newcastle, Graford and two teams from the newly created Wichita Falls Memorial High School.
The JV and ninth grade division — which is combined — has three Graham teams and two teams from each of the other schools except Memorial, Windthorst, Woodson and Newcastle.
Due to all scores being unofficial and with how many games each team will play every Monday, these write-ups will focus on one or two games from Graham’s teams. This week, the first varsity team matched up with Wichita Falls Memorial in the first game of the evening.
After starting out strong on a 5-0 run, the Lady Blues dealt with struggles throughout the game and ended up falling to the Lady Mavericks 35-27 by the time the buzzer sounded.
Georgia Martin got the game underway for Graham as she contributed to five straight points with some quality serves, including an ace on the very first point of the game. The Lady Blues built the lead up to 6-1 before Memorial pulled back into it.
The two teams tied at 7-7 and 8-8 before Memorial began to pull away due to their above average hitting and multiple Graham errors. The Lady Mavericks built up their biggest lead at 18-9 before an error got the Lady Blues back into it.
Graham’s varsity girls began the slow climb to cut into Memorial’s lead led by Martin’s serving and pinpoint hitting from Braylee Mayes and some of the other Lady Blues. Although they made the game competitive, Memorial went on to take the win 35-27.
While Graham’s first team took on the new school, Graham’s second varsity team played nearby Newcastle. Those two teams were evenly matched and when time expired Newcastle’s Ladycats pulled out the 34-32 win.
All of Graham’s teams played multiple games Monday and will continue to get work throughout the run of this league. The Lady Blues will regroup and look for more wins and success next Monday, June 10.
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