A&M Consolidated Volleyball Team Sweeps Bryan

By LARRY BOWEN larry.bowen@theeagle.com

Diggin’ for a Cure was the theme as A&M Consolidated and Bryan promoted breast cancer awareness during their volleyball match in which Consol’s superior firepower left the Lady Vikings digging out of desperation.

Consol won several points after Bryan players came up with digs or running saves, only to see the Lady Tigers continue the attack during a 25-12, 25-14, 25-13 victory in the Crosstown Showdown at Tiger Gym on Tuesday night.

The 14th-ranked Lady Tigers (27-9, 6-3) held on to a share of third place in District 14-5A, sweeping both matches this season against Bryan (10-26, 2-7). Consol bounced back from a loss to unbeaten The Woodlands, gaining a bit of momentum going into two key matches — at second-place The Woodlands College Park on Friday and home against Conroe Oak Ridge on Tuesday.

“We played really well tonight,” said Consol coach Cydryce McMillian, who before the match presented a bouquet of flowers to Bryan coach Caroline Simpson, who has gone through cancer treatments this fall. “I think we handled the ball very well, and we were running our offense. Our blocking scheme was good.”

Consol demonstrated its hitting depth as four Lady Tigers finished with more kills than Bryan’s top hitter. The Lady Tigers had an overall edge of 36-17 in kills and spent most of the match on the attack.

On several points, the Lady Vikings made a dig or save that brought cheers from the Bryan fans. However, on almost each occasion the Lady Tigers got enough additional swings to put away the point.

“We chased some balls down and tried to keep some balls in play, but we just gave them too many free balls,” Simpson said. “After those balls that pull you off the court to make saves, it’s easy for them because we’re not back on the court yet.

“They’ve got a real balanced attack. That’s what it takes to play at the next level.”

Senior outside hitter Ashlynn Ford led Consol with 11 kills. The Lady Tigers got eight kills from senior right side attacker Jordan Dickson, seven by senior middle blocker Kaycey Cermin and six from junior middle blocker Mindy Hudspeth.

The Consol offense was directed by senior setter Caitlin Williams (16 assists) and junior Christi Corkran (14). McMillian has shuffled the lineup recently, giving Corkran more playing time at setter with sophomore Haley Slocum (three kills) switching to an attacking role.

“We switched some things around, looking at our offensive game and trying to put our best hitters on the court,” McMillian said. “Christi is back in the mix. We’re working with our setters on making quality sets and good decisions, because we have the firepower.”

Bryan got five kills from freshman right side hitter Emily Hubacek and four apiece by senior outside hitters Audrey Malone and Jessica Pfeffer.

The Lady Tigers seized control of the first two games with big runs. Consol scored nine consecutive points in the opener to grab a 19-7 advantage. In Game 2, the home team trailed 11-7 before winning the next 10 points.

Ford made 23 digs for Consol, while senior outside hitter Kelly Williams added 15 and Dickson had 12.

For the Lady Vikings, freshman libero Madelyn Luera contributed 15 digs and Malone had eight.

In subvarsity action, Consol won the JV match 25-11, 25-5. Bryan’s freshmen won 25-7, 25-23.

Story courtesy of brazossports.com