Houston volleyball finishes third in tournament

The Houston High School volleyball team picked up three wins while finishing in third place at the Cabool Invitational Tournament Saturday, Sept. 21.

In pool play, the Lady Tigers tied Bunker (25-23, 19-25) and defeated Summersville (25-23, 25-19) and Seymour (26-24, 25-11). That was enough for them to finish second in their pool and play in the “Gold” bracket.

Seeded fourth in bracket play, the Lady Tigers were tasked with fifth-seeded Bunker – who they tied in pool play. This time Houston would get the best of the match in straight sets (25-20, 25-23). In the semifinals, Houston faced county-rival Cabool, the top-seeded team.

Both teams battled in a tough three set match but it eventually went the Lady Bulldogs way – 25-20, 16-25, 19-25.

Senior setter Morgan McKinney – who is battling a head injury – sat out of the tournament.

“I thought we did really well for the day considering we had one of our starters out and changed the rotation the day before,” said HHS head coach Julia Sloan. “The girls really embraced the change and battled adversity.”

Several Lady Tiger performances contributed to the team’s success during the five tournament matches including seniors Carli Cummins-Drake (9 aces) and Makinley Aaron (31 kills) and juniors Kayla Wagner (65 assists) and Gracyn McNiell (45 digs).

The Willow Springs Lady Bears would prove to be too much for Houston last Thursday, sweeping the Lady Tigers in three sets, 10-25, 15-25, 15-25.

“We definitely didn’t play our best,” said Sloan. “We struggled passing and couldn’t get in a rhythm, mentally or physically.”

The lack of rhythm was obvious in the statline, with Wagner producing only 5 kills in all three sets, after averaging over 5 kills per set leading up to the match.

McKinney contributed 13 digs and seven assists.

Last Tuesday, the squad made quick work of their road match at Plato, defeating the eagles in straight sets.

The 28-26, 25-9, 25-16 victory gave the Lady Tigers their fourth win of the season, matching their win total from 2023 through five matches.

Leading the offensive attack yet again was Wagner with 15 kills.

In the absence of all-state outside hitter Angie Smith, Wagner has been asked to do more for the Lady Tiger offense.

“Kayla has really stepped into her role this year,” said Sloan. “Most nights she puts the weight of the team on her shoulders and carries us.”

Sloan not only praised Wagner’s ability but also her selflessness and willingness to learn.

“She is a very team-centered individual. I’m excited to see how much more she grows this season.”

Other stat leaders included 16 assists from McKinney, 14 digs from Aaron and 2 aces apiece for seniors Cummins-Drake and Elysia Graciano.

The Lady Tigers (7-3-1) traveled to Salem Tuesday and then faced Mountain Grove at home Thursday.

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