The Pampa Lady Harvesters (21-19, 5-8) had their season come to an end on Saturday when they traveled to Canyon to take on the Lady Eagles. The game resulted in a loss for the Lady Harvesters as they fell in three (25-18, 25-17, 25-18).
Despite the loss, the Lady Harvesters had reason to celebrate as Junior Karsyn Brown recorded her 100th block in the contest.
“One hundred blocks for any player is a huge accomplishment,” Head Coach Kaylee Samulowitz said. “Karsyn got 56 blocks just this season, which is double any other players on our team. Says a lot about her pure athleticism to be able to get that many blocks at 5’5” in the middle. I can’t wait to see her continued success next season.”
While the ultimate goal for any team in any sport is postseason contention, Samulowitz said the Lady Harvesters gained a lot of confidence and felt like a playoff team.
“We are definitely bummed that we missed out on the playoffs, but to finish in sole possession of fifth place in this district was a big deal,” Samulowitz said. “In the 4A district just south of us, we swept three out of the top four teams. So I would say we were definitely a playoff-caliber team.
“I think these girls gained a lot of confidence in themselves and learned how to play fearless. We are going to take that momentum into next season and use our disappointment to fuel us in the off season.”
Samulowitz said part of that success this season came from the Lady Harvesters’ aggressive serving style and pursuit on defense.
“Multiple coaches in the district commented on those parts of our game,” Samulowitz said. “That’s a huge compliment when another team takes note of things we do really well.”
Samulowitz is excited about the future of the Lady Harvesters.
“Our sub varsity teams had great seasons and are full of a lot of great talent,” Samulowitz said. “We also have some really talented players with a lot of potential on our eighth-grade team. It’s going to be fun to see who steps in to the open positions next year on all of our teams.”
After one year back on the sidelines, Samulowitz said she is excited about the culture being set in the program.
“Year 1 back in the program is always a little difficult, so I would say I’m most excited to continue building on the expectations we set this year and the culture we have started to change,” Samulowitz said. “We are returning a lot of starters from varsity as well, so I can’t wait to see how much we improve going into next season.”
Season stats recap
Junior Madi Barton had 42 kills, 45 aces, 255 digs, 21 total blocks and 811 assists; Senior Haili Newton had 328 kills, 25 aces, 327 digs, 28 total blocks and 12 assists; Senior Olivia Owens had 144 kills, 73 aces, 85 digs, 22 total blocks and 13 assists; Junior Myla Zarate had one kill, 348 digs, one total block and 52 assists; Junior Karsyn Brown had 167 kills, 40 aces, 65 digs, 56 total blocks and six assists; Junior Brooklyn Warren had 162 kills, 12 aces, 121 digs, 11 total blocks and five assists; Senior Naya Gallegos had one kill, 17 aces, 159 digs and nine assists; Sophomore Addison Bagwell had 127 kills, 33 aces, 317 digs, 16 total blocks and 26 assists; Senior Yaritza Saenz had one kill, 11 aces, 104 digs and 12 assists; Junior Kinley Duke had 35 kills, seven aces, 29 digs, 10 total blocks and four assists; Senior Elizabeth Peet had 14 kills, nine digs, six total blocks and one assist; Junior Emme Hill had 16 kills, three aces, 12 digs and five total blocks.
