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THE LIBERTY HILL INDEPENDENT Thursday, October 10, 2013 Page 4
Lady Panthers sweep rival Burnet, remain undefeated in district
By TAYLOR GRAFFT The Independent Sports BURNET -- The Liberty Hill Varsity Volleyball team swept Burnet, 3-0, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and secured an important district win over the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Panthers remain undefeated and improved to 4-0 in district play. Jill Green led the Lady Panthers with seven kills in the win while setter Kallie Perrin added 20 assists. Libero Payton Walker and outside hitter Peyton Redmond finished with nine digs each, while Jaycie Pluenneke added four blocks. Redmond also led the Panthers with two aces. “The game with Burnet is always really intense,” said Head Coach Gretchen Peterson. “It’s a really big rivalry and there’s always a lot of emotion behind it. When you can come out of playing on their court with a win you’re always excited. To start out 4-0 in district is also important and a great starting point for us going into the second half of the season.” The Panthers have now won three consecutive games and are showing they can play some good volleyball when focused and committed. “Keeping up the level of defense and intensity will be a focus going forward,” Coach Peterson said. “We were really on our defensive game tonight. The tempo was up and our hitters were able to hit more quality shots because the passes were there. We really have to focus on keeping up the pressure and not getting caught in lulls just because we go up in game one. So that will be our challenge going forward. I might be a little hard on them, but I really want to get those things worked out before we get to playoffs.” Liberty Hill (24-9, 4-0 District) opened the first set with a 5-3 lead after an ace by Mason Sharp. The Lady Panthers then built their lead
to 8-3 following block by Jaycie Pluenneke. “I think Jaycie (Pluenneke) is doing great,” Coach Peterson said. “She and Kallie (Perrin) are continuing to connect better and better every game. She’s just a great leader for us and I’m very happy for her,” Peterson said. The Lady Panthers continued their fast start after they forced a hitting error by the Lady Bulldogs to go up 15-8. Back to back kills by Mason Sharp led the Lady Panthers on their 5-0 run. The Lady Bulldogs finally got a point after a double hit by Liberty Hill, 19-9. A dump shot by Perrin made it 219. A hitting error by Burnet made it 24-13. The Panthers ended the first set on a 4-3 run and took the first game 25-13. In the second set, the Lady Panthers went up 6-3 following a missed serve by Burnet. Liberty Hill built its lead to 9-4 following a hitting error by Burnet. A kill by Peyton Redmond and a shot by Jill Green put the Lady Panthers up 12-6. The Lady Panthers continued to build upon their lead in the second set when Madi Sharp spiked the ball over the net and then picked up an ace a few points later to make it 169. The team then went on a 6-4 rally following an unforced error by Burnet. Burnet rallied back to cut the deficit to three, before Liberty Hill pulled away and won the second set 25-19. In the third and final set, the Lady Panthers found themselves tied 4-4 with Burnet. A kill by Jill Green that was assisted by Kallie Perrin put the Panthers up 8-5 a few points later. Liberty Hill then increased its lead to six after a kill by Peyton Redmond, which was set up by Kelly
Madi Sharp (#8) and Jill Green (#2) jump up to block a Burnet attack in the first set on Tuesday. The Lady Panthers played intense defense throughout the set and recorded three team blocks. (Photo by Kathy Canady) McKinzey. Burnet and Liberty Hill traded points back and forth before Hallie Supak’s shot that was assisted by Perrin allowed the Panthers to go up 16-10. Madi Sharp would spike the ball over the net after Kelly McKinzey set her up to put the Panthers up 2014. Jill Green blocked Burnet’s attack on the next point to go up 21-14. Liberty Hill ended the third set on a 4-1 run following a kill by Jill Green to end the match.
The Fightin’ Panthers prepare to start district play this week as they take on rival Llano at Panther Stadium. Prior to a recent home football game, players took a knee for a brief prayer. (Photo by Kathy Canady)
Game Night Preview
District opener brings Llano’s Yellowjackets to Panther Stadium Liberty Hill vs. Llano (District) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11 Panthers Stadium, Liberty Hill
Jill Green (#2) raises high to spike the ball over the net for an important point against the Lady Bulldogs in a 3-0 sweep on Tuesday Oct. 8 in Burnet. (Photo by Kathy Canady)
JV Lady Panthers beat rival Burnet By TAYLOR GRAFFT The Independent Sports Burnet -- The Liberty Hill Junior Varsity Volleyball team came from behind after losing their first game to defeat rival Burnet in an away match 2-1 (24-26, 25-20, 25-18) on Tuesday. The Lady Panthers found themselves in a close back-and-forth contest with the Lady Bulldogs in the first set. The Panthers were tied 1515 with Burnet, before a kill by Tori Graves gave Liberty Hill the lead. A missed serve by Liberty Hill allowed Burnet to battle back to a onepoint deficit 17-16. A kill by Peyton Pfifer and an ace by Katelyn Lyle made it 19-16. Burnet then rallied to a three-point deficit to make it 21-18. A dump shot by Burnet made it 2319 before the Lady Bulldogs went on a 7-1 run to defeat Liberty Hill in game one. In the second game, the Lady Panthers dug deep after falling behind 3-2 to start the set. A kill by Amanda Boliek put Liberty Hill on top 5-3. Both teams traded shots before a kill by Peyton Pfifer made it 10-7.
Junior Varsity players Carley Maples (#12), London Smith (middle), and Amanda Boliek (#7) focus on good defense and placement in a 2-1 victory See VOLLEYBALL, Page 5 over rival Burnet on Tuesday. (Photo by Kathy Canady)
About Llano High School Coach: Craig Slaughter Mascot: Yellowjackets Record: 2-3 Colors: Orange, Black League: 3A Region I District 8 The Llano High School Yellowjackets currently hold a 2-3 record. The Yellowjackets opened the season with a 31-7 lost at Wimberley, but won the next two games against Bangs and Bandera at home. The Yellowjackets are currently on a two-game losing streak after falling to Boerne and Fredericksburg. Last season, Liberty Hill defeated Llano 55-28 and the Yellowjackets finished the 2012 season at 3-7. There have been a couple of down years for Llano recently, but this season, second year Head Coach Craig Slaughter has his team playing aggressive and great defense. A few injuries to key players on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball have plagued the Yellowjackets to start the season, but it looks like most of the players will return in time for their matchup against Liberty Hill after a week off of rest. “Llano has had a lot of injuries the last two years and has been installing a new system and new coach,” said Liberty Hill Head Coach Jerry Vance. “Coach Slaughter did a good job at Sweetwater and we knew he’d do a good job at Llano, too.
This is the second year they’ve had his system and they’re playing good defense right now. They have the second best defense in the district at the moment. That says a lot about Coach Slaughter and his staff and how well coached they are.” One of those players who could be returning is senior quarterback Layton Rabb who has been out 5 and a half weeks. “We expect Rabb to play against us on Friday,” Vance said. “We played against him last year and his brother years before that. We know what kind of athlete he is. We’re not sure what to expect from him and we’ll have to play that one by ear once the game starts. He threw the ball about 40 times in the first game, so we’ll have to be aware and ready and prepare like he’s Joe Theismann. He’s also a good runner and we’ll have to be alert.“ Llano has struggled this season on offense without Rabb, but its defense has been one of the best in district holding opponents to a 18.4 point per game average. “Llano throws a lot of screens and quick passes like that,” Coach Vance said. “So we can’t just pin our ears back and go straight for the quarterback, otherwise we’ll get hurt. We just have to play the way we usually play and tackle. We just have to wrap up and make good tackles.” Llano has several other playmakers on the team including running back Carter Tatsch who is averaging almost 100 rushing yards per game. The Panthers also have to
be aware of where Issac Hutto and Jalen Bauman line up on the field and prevent them from getting too many touches. Liberty Hill has also had an extra week of rest to prepare. “We had a really good practice,” Coach Vance said. “We did some things different from the past and the kids responded well. It also gave us a chance to get a couple of kids rested up who had injuries. I anticipate that we’ll be at full strength and ready to go. It’s as healthy as we’ve been in awhile.” The key to a Panther victory will be attacking the Yellowjacket offensive line. Liberty Hill has already proven this season that it has playmakers on the defensive line who can disrupt the backfield and tackle the ball carrier for a loss. They will look to continue that pressure and make Llano’s first visit to the new Panther Stadium a tough one. The message is pretty much the same it has been all season from the Panther coaching staff, but with district the players and coaches realize that these are the real games that matter. Playing in district is like a new season, a new beginning. “We have been telling the kids all week in practice, in order for us to go deep in the playoffs we have to go through these five games at a higher level,” Coach Vance said. “We have to be better in these next five games than we were in the first five. There’s definitely a bigger intensity added to these games.”
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