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(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Izzy Alejo hits a ball on a serve attempt Friday, Oct. 24, against the Mineral Wells Lady Rams. Alejo has consistently been a spark plug defensively and at the service line for the Lady Blues this year. -
(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Tara Dawson prepares in the back row Friday, Oct. 24, against the Mineral Wells Lady Rams. Dawson is a veteran leader for this team but also a versatile playmaker offensively and defensively. -
(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Kaden Atwood, 7, and Katy McGehee, 1, prepare for a serve receive opportunity Friday, Oct. 24, against the Mineral Wells Lady Rams. Head coach Marci Faulk said the team needs to build on consistency going into the postseason. -
(ALEX HAVARDANKSY | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Kya Cooper, left, and Madison Cauble, right, prepare for a defensive possession Friday, Oct. 24, against Mineral Wells. The Lady Blues fought but lost to the Lady Rams in five sets.
The Graham Lady Blues played their final game of the regular season and in district play against the Mineral Wells Lady Rams. Unfortunately for the Lady Blues, they were not able to pick up the victory.
Despite fighting in each of their last few contests to end the year, the Lady Blues find themselves in a little bit of a funk. Head coach Marci Faulk believes that the number one thing the team needs to improve is consistency and getting on longer runs offensively as they head into the postseason.
“Again tonight consistency was a factor in the end of the game,” Faulk said. “If we don’t put more consistent runs together, our season is very limited.”
The Lady Blues fought a very tight set one but ultimately lost 26-24. They also dropped the second set against the Lady Rams losing 25-19.
However, the team started to really kick things up a notch picking up a dominant set three victory 25-13. Set four was a bit of a hectic one as the match was temporarily delayed due to a tornado warning in the area causing players, coaches and fans to evacuate to the hallways.
The Lady Blues didn’t skip a beat though once the game resumed and Graham pulled out another victory in set four to even the score 2-2.
In the win-or-take-all fifth set, the Lady Blues started off on the right track leading 6-2, but they couldn’t hang on as the Lady Rams went on a run and never surrendered. Graham lost the fifth set 15-11 which won the match for Mineral Wells.
Katy McGehee and Madison Cauble were once again dynamic showcasing power for kills in the front row with McGehee also picking up points at the service line.
Izzy Alejo was also a big morale booster throughout the contest, picking up key points and keeping the Lady Blues competitive.
Hadleigh Allen and Kya Cooper once again were effective facilitators for the team with Cooper also showcasing her power at the front net for points.
Rylee Moore and Emily Hughes also played their part keeping Graham in the contest with powerful kills in the front row.
Tara Dawson continued to be a versatile defensive specialist and players like Treyton McCullough, Kathryn Hughes and Bentleigh Martin also provided great depth and different looks in the lineup throughout.
The Lady Blues kick off bi-district play against Frenship Memorial at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at Sweetwater High School.
