Photo by Nicole Flowers
October 5, 2023
Bandera volleyball looking for resurgence in second round of district
By Brady Keane
The Bandera Prophet
Despite finishing the first round of District 27-4A play with a 1-5 record, the Bandera volleyball team is confident in its ability to bounce back and make a push for the playoffs with the second round of district play getting started Friday night.
The Lady Bulldogs’ varsity team is set to host Boerne at 6 p.m.
“We have been improving as the first half of district has come and gone,” Bandera Head Coach Sananda Molina said. “We have had to step our game up even though we had been playing at a high level. The beginning of our next round will show if we can rise above expectations and go be who we are – Bulldogs.”
Bandera lost a heartbreaker to the Lady Greyhounds in the district opener back on September 12, falling in five sets 20-25, 25-22, 14-25, 27-25, 13-15. The Lady Bulldogs staged a phenomenal rally in the fifth set after digging themselves into an early hole, but ultimately came up just short.
As the team now prepares for the second matchup against Boerne, Bandera has been off from competition since falling to state-ranked No. 1 Davenport last Friday night. While that loss was the second of the week for the Lady Bulldogs after a tight three-set loss to Fredericksburg, the performance against the Lady Wolves is part of what has Bandera primed for a resurgence in the second round of district play.
Bandera lost to Davenport 13-25, 25-21, 6-25, 20-25 but became the only District 27-4A team to take a set away from the Lady Wolves. Kinlee Lawlis had 15 kills, 24 assists and two aces against Davenport while Jayla Blake added 9 kills and six digs. Ally Kline had 16 assists, Mary Freeman had 11 assists and Ashlyn Mott finished with 18 digs.
“After the match, the Davenport coach said that we were the only team in the district to come in and compete,” Molina said. “She said that everyone else just seemed to accept defeat. She said that we were the best team they had played, and she was sure we would beat everyone in the next round. I’m proud of how hard we played. I agree with the Davenport coach. Let’s go beat everyone in the next round.”
That second round starts with the Lady Greyhounds, who finished the first round of district play with a 3-4 record. Boerne currently sits in the fourth and final playoff-qualifying spot, trailing Davenport (35-4, 7-0), Wimberley (26-6, 6-1) and Navarro (30-8, 5-2). Fredericksburg (17-18, 2-5) is fifth, Bandera (21-16, 1-5) is sixth and Canyon Lake (6-24, 0-7) is seventh.
After Boerne, the Lady Bulldogs will take on Wimberley on the road Tuesday night.
“We’ve made some changes to our schemes and believe we have the solution that’s going to work best for us in the second round of district,” Lawlis said. “We are ready and determined to finish it off the right way.”
The Lady Bulldogs’ varsity team is set to host Boerne at 6 p.m.
“We have been improving as the first half of district has come and gone,” Bandera Head Coach Sananda Molina said. “We have had to step our game up even though we had been playing at a high level. The beginning of our next round will show if we can rise above expectations and go be who we are – Bulldogs.”
Bandera lost a heartbreaker to the Lady Greyhounds in the district opener back on September 12, falling in five sets 20-25, 25-22, 14-25, 27-25, 13-15. The Lady Bulldogs staged a phenomenal rally in the fifth set after digging themselves into an early hole, but ultimately came up just short.
As the team now prepares for the second matchup against Boerne, Bandera has been off from competition since falling to state-ranked No. 1 Davenport last Friday night. While that loss was the second of the week for the Lady Bulldogs after a tight three-set loss to Fredericksburg, the performance against the Lady Wolves is part of what has Bandera primed for a resurgence in the second round of district play.
Bandera lost to Davenport 13-25, 25-21, 6-25, 20-25 but became the only District 27-4A team to take a set away from the Lady Wolves. Kinlee Lawlis had 15 kills, 24 assists and two aces against Davenport while Jayla Blake added 9 kills and six digs. Ally Kline had 16 assists, Mary Freeman had 11 assists and Ashlyn Mott finished with 18 digs.
“After the match, the Davenport coach said that we were the only team in the district to come in and compete,” Molina said. “She said that everyone else just seemed to accept defeat. She said that we were the best team they had played, and she was sure we would beat everyone in the next round. I’m proud of how hard we played. I agree with the Davenport coach. Let’s go beat everyone in the next round.”
That second round starts with the Lady Greyhounds, who finished the first round of district play with a 3-4 record. Boerne currently sits in the fourth and final playoff-qualifying spot, trailing Davenport (35-4, 7-0), Wimberley (26-6, 6-1) and Navarro (30-8, 5-2). Fredericksburg (17-18, 2-5) is fifth, Bandera (21-16, 1-5) is sixth and Canyon Lake (6-24, 0-7) is seventh.
After Boerne, the Lady Bulldogs will take on Wimberley on the road Tuesday night.
“We’ve made some changes to our schemes and believe we have the solution that’s going to work best for us in the second round of district,” Lawlis said. “We are ready and determined to finish it off the right way.”