The Lady Harvesters got back on the winning track on Saturday when they swept the Borger Lady Bulldogs (25-23, 25-23, 25-13).
“[Junior Madi Barton] was making some really good choices on Saturday and getting our hitters in really good situations,” Head Coach Kaylee Samulowitz said. “Our hitters were able to take advantage of that and were really effective against Borger.”
This is the first season sweep for the Lady Harvesters in at least three years. Getting the win against their No. 1 rival and completing the season sweep was huge for the program.
“These girls had lost at Borger the last two years, so I think they had built this game up in their heads a little bit,” Samulowitz said.
“We talked a lot about playing with confidence and worrying about our own side of the net, and they were able to execute that. We are focusing on raising our standards within the program, and a season sweep of Borger is supporting that expectation.”
Samulowitz noted Senior Yaritza Saenz came in as a serving sub during the game and made some big plays.
“Yaritza came in as a serving sub during this game, which is sometimes a role that can seem really small,” Samulowitz said. “However, she was able to take that role and run with it and she had some big plays for us in a really important game! She is such a great teammate and has bought in to everything we are trying to accomplish. I’m very proud of her.”
The Lady Harvesters return to action on Tuesday when they host Hereford for their second meeting of the season. The Lady Harvesters fell to Hereford in their last contest, now the Lady Harvesters will hope to split with the Lady Whitefaces to keep playoff hopes alive.
“Round 1 against Hereford was not one of our best games,” Samulowitz said. “We were still able to take a set off of them, so I’m hoping the girls will approach this game expecting to win. Our offense really struggled against them last time, so we are looking to turn that around and continue that momentum from Saturday.”
Stat Roundup
Senior Haili Newton had 14 kills, nine digs, two total blocks and one assist; Sophomore Addison Bagwell had 11 kills, eight digs and two assists; Junior Brooklyn Warren had five kills, two digs and one total block; Senior Yaritza Saenz had four digs; Senior Naya Gallegos had one ace and 11 digs; Junior Madi Barton had two kills, five digs, one total block and 31 assists; Senior Olivia Owens had three kills, two aces, three digs and two total blocks; Junior Myla Zarate had 11 digs and three assists; Junior Karsyn Brown had three kills, one dig and one total block.
