ROCKDALE — College Station eased to an expected sweep of Manor in the bi-district round of the Class 5A playoffs, although it wasn’t vintage volleyball by the 10th-ranked Lady Cougars.
District 18-5A champion College Station didn’t get seriously tested or play at its usual level while posting a 25-16, 25-19, 25-17 victory over Manor, which made the postseason despite losing nearly two-thirds of its matches during the regular season.
The Lady Cougars (32-16) left Tiger Gymnasium headed for the second round of the playoffs, however. College Station will play in the area round against 19-5A runner-up Tomball Memorial (28-14), with date and site to be determined.
Manor, making its first playoff appearance since reaching the 3A bracket several years ago, finished the season at 7-21. The Lady Mustangs came in on a two-match winning streak after beating Temple in the regular-season finale and in a play-in match for fourth place in 17-5A.
The Lady Cougars never trailed in the opening game but allowed Manor to hang around in the next two. The Lady Mustangs were nowhere near as polished as College Station, but they were competitive.
“They challenged us in a different way than other teams would,” College Station coach Kristen Grimes said. “They play a different speed than us, and it’s hard to keep your speed when they play so different. It was challenging to keep the game in our control because of that.
“I liked that we won. That’s about all I liked about tonight. We need to focus on staying mentally focused.”
There wasn’t any question after warmups, but College Station verified its superior firepower early in the match. Senior outside hitter Kassidy McCabe set the tone with five kills, while Shelby Sumlin added two kills and Erin Whitman had two blocks as the Lady Cougars jumped to a 15-7 lead.
Manor’s last lead of the match came at 8-7 in Game 2. The Lady Cougars pulled away with a 13-3 run that featured three kills by senior middle blocker Sumlin and six errors by the Lady Mustangs.
College Station showed its depth in the third game as Grimes shuffled the lineup to get more players into the match. Junior outside hitter Haley Hines delivered seven of her team-leading nine kills in Game 3. The Lady Cougars also got production from sophomore Whitman and freshman Natalie Martin.
McCabe and Sumlin contributed eight kills apiece, while junior setter Lydia Wagner dished out 25 assists. Libero Brady Gillum led the defense with 11 digs, while Bailey Bennett added eight.
Tomball Memorial advanced with a 25-6, 25-8, 25-13 win over Houston Madison.
One possibility for the College Station-Memorial match is at Waller on Friday, when the Lady Cougars have the gym reserved. But the schools have yet to make that official.
ROCKDALE — Rudder’s volleyball team had no trouble living up to the school’s ‘Rangers Lead The Way’ motto on Tuesday, powering past Elgin to start District 18-5A’s playoff doubleheader sweep at Tiger Gymnasium.
The No. 21 Rangers, who finished second in 18-5A, whipped the Lady Wildcats 25-13, 25-14, 25-16 in their bi-district match. Rudder didn’t play its best volleyball but didn’t need to reach that level to move into the second round of the Class 5A playoffs.
Rudder (35-8) will play Magnolia West (26-13) in the area round at 1 p.m. Saturday in Navasota.
Elgin, the third seed from 17-5A, finished the season at 13-30.
The Rangers did not trail in the opening game, and the Lady Wildcats enjoyed only a couple of brief early leads during the next two. Rudder battled mistakes at times, but the Rangers had way too much strength on offense for an Elgin team that suffered through a miserable night serving with 14 errors.
Rudder probably will have to play better against Magnolia West, a team the Rangers beat twice during the regular season. Rudder is seeking its second consecutive deep run after reaching the Region III final last year.
“I don’t think we were very sharp, but in the first round of the playoffs I think the kids are always a little bit tight,” Rudder coach Jacky Pence said. “To the person in the stands it looks like a volleyball match, but these kids started in August hoping to get to this point. Everything looks a little bit different in that first round.”
The Rangers looked typically dangerous, getting 11 kills and two blocks from junior middle blocker Kianna Suber. Senior outside hitter Landri Brown and junior outside hitter Brianna Suber added seven kills apiece.
Rudder also got a lift from the return to full-time duty of junior outside hitter Tamaira Armstrong, who was cleared to play Tuesday after being out two months because of an injury. Armstrong played in the regular-season finale against College Station, but only as a blocker. Finally able to swing away, she notched a couple of kills in the third game against Elgin.
“[Kianna Suber] just keeps getting better every time she gets on the court,” Pence said. “It was exciting to have Tamaira back swinging. We’re hoping to get her some more reps.”
Elgin found a bit of hope leading the third game 8-7, but the Rangers took the next seven points with Kianna Suber delivering three consecutive kills followed by a block.
Junior setter Allison Vaughan dished out 22 assists and made 13 digs for Rudder. Senior libero Madison Smith led the defense with 10 digs.