The Herald-Zeitung

It became evident early that San Antonio Roosevelt would need to do more than “carry a big stick” to hold off the New Braunfels volleyball team from solidifying their grip on a state playoff spot at Unicorns Gym on Tuesday night.

Unicorn coach Phyllis Fowler’s troops sent the Rough Riders packing after a three-game sweep (25-12,25-13 and 25-5) in a match that took just 51 minutes and saw every Unicorn gain playing time.

New Braunfels’ Jennifer Myer was on the floor for every point in every game for the first time this season, after suffering a devastating knee injury last May.

“She’s not in game shape yet, but we’re trying give her opportunities to gain more confidence,” said Fowler, in regards to her senior outside hitter who has gone through the rehab needed to come back from a torn ACL last spring.

For Myer, the smile was back and there was no second thoughts as her aggressive play earned her a block, saw her bury an overhead pass and gave her five kills.

“I was just having fun today, that was my main goal,” said Myer, whose five kills were second to Angels Lowak, who had six. “I really feel like I’m starting to get my game back, day-by-day and really felt comfortable hitting in this match.”

Using its athleticism at the outset, Roosevelt battled the Unicorns point-for-point with five ties, the last being at 7-7 before New Braunfels erupted for a 14-4 run to put the game away.

“We are athletic, but we have to put the point away early, if we don’t our errors hurt us and the game gets away from us,” Rough Riders Coach Rodney Vigil said.

For the Unicorns, the lopsided wins over San Antonio Lee this past Friday and now Roosevelt, allows them to stay in the thick of the district race at 8-5, as they seek to secure one of the last two playoff spots in District 26-5A.

They share identical records with Smithson Valley and Johnson, while MacArthur lurks behind by only a half a game and only two of the four will get invites to the state tournament.

“We really control our own destiny, but the most pivotal match for us is the Johnson match,” noted Fowler about the home finale.

Two of the final three are on the road, including a duel with the state’s top ranked and unbeaten district leader this Friday at Reagan, before playing host to Johnson and closing the season at MacArthur, a team that defeated the Unicorns in four in their own building.

The Roosevelt romp wound up being more of a tune-up for New Braunfels and the likes of senior Breanne Schultz and freshman Morrigan Land each wound up with three aces in the game as they gained extended playing time in the 25-5 rout.

Smithson valley routs SA Madison — Lauryn Lozano had seven kills and 12 aces, while Paige Hamilton had 16 digs to lead Smithson Valley to a 25-5, 25-11, 25-10 rout of San Antonio Madison on Tuesday night. Elizabeth Pawelek had 22 assists and Kirby Esparza had two blocks during the match. Smithson Valley improves to 22-13 overall and 8-5 in District 26-5A.

Hawks sweep Ingram Moore — Canyon Lake volleyball team improved to 22-12 overall and 3-3 in District 30-3A with a 25-17, 25-18, 25-20 win over Ingram Moore on Tuesday. Junior Tira Chalk had 10 kills and senior Miki Roberts had 21 assists in the win.