In their first game of the 2021 volleyball season, the 3A Hackett Lady Hornets hosted the 5A Alma Lady Airedales on August 26. If there was ever any question as to whether or not the Lady Hornets would be able to maintain the same success they saw in last season, the girls made sure to answer it in Thursday night’s match with a 3-0 response. In the first two sets, Hackett and Alma kept things close with final winning sets of 25-18 and 25-19 with Hackett winning both. But as the third set got underway, it seemed as though the Lady Airedales started to lose a little pep in their step as the Lady Hornets managed to pull away with a final winning set of 25-11.
“I was very impressed with my girls’ hustle and never quit ball attitudes,” expressed head coach, Bridget Freeman. “We hit the ball well in junior high and senior high and played some amazing defense. We worked hard together as a team, and I can see some cohesiveness starting to form.” Although the highlight of the night had less to do with “skill” and more to do with the pure empathy that the Lady Hornets have for each other, “I have girls quarantined on both junior and senior high and both teams (without each other knowing) chose to turn to our Hudl camera and wave to their teammates who were watching us from their homes…that means a lot to me because of the depth that these girls truly care for one another!”
Acing the game better than Doogie Howser on his medical exam was Madeline Freeman and Mackenzie Mendenhall with two aces each followed by Prairie Vaughn with 1. With cooler “digs” than MTV’s Cribs, was Shayla Foster and Mendenhall with 16 apiece trailed by Freeman with 15. Being the true definition of a team player was Vaughn with 19 assists, Freeman with 16, and Foster with 7. Alona Rothwell topped the charts with 3 blocks followed by Vaughn with 2, and Freeman and Kenadi Wright with 1 each. And with more kills than a NYC exterminator spending the day in an abandoned building was Freeman with 14 giving her a .522% hitting average. Mendednhall and Aubree Ruggles with 7 apiece. Vaughn with 6. Alona Rothwell with 6 as well earning a .375% hitting average. Wright with 5. And Foster with 1. The Lady Hornets will hit the court again on August 31 at Green Forest.
Photos courtesy of Hackett Sports Network
