It was a big day for Lady Knights Volleyball Team this past Saturday, Sept. 28. According to Coach Summers, it was one of the dates on the schedule that a star is placed beside as soon as the schedule is completed. “We knew we were bringing three good teams to the gym and it would be a good mid-season assessment for us,” said Summers.

In the first contest, the Knights entertained the John Marshall Monarchs, who had been playing good volleyball of late. The Knights broke serve and then raced out to a quick 7-0 lead and never looked back, winning set one 25-11. John Marshall responded, making set two a closer contest, but the Monarchs could never take the lead. Set two and the match went to Tyler by a score of 25-21.

In their second match, Tyler Consolidated was pitted against a scrappy team from Calhoun County. The Knights, carrying momentum from the John Marshall match, played well on both offense and defense and easily won set one 25-10. The Knights continued to play error-free into the second set and never trailed winning the set (25-14) as well as the match two games to none. Coach Summers was pleased with the effort. “We played intelligent volleyball and didn’t do anything to hurt ourselves. Lindsay Thompson played very well and was our emotional leader and Allie Miller was all over the floor,” noted Summers.

The final match of the day was an eagerly anticipated rematch with the number one ranked (AA) Golden Bears from Oak Glen. Set one did not disappoint those in attendance as the lead changed hands several times with long rallies and both teams making great plays. With the Knights leading 19-17, Oak Glen took a time out and then responded by knotting the score at 20-20. However, Oak Glen received three consecutive kills from West Virginia signee Skye Stokes and went on to take the first set 25-21. In the second set, the Knights lost serve early and with it the momentum, falling behind 8-1. Despite a strong effort, Tyler Consolidated could not recover and would go on to lose set two 25-7. Following the match, Coach Summers had high praise for his team and the Oak Glen Golden Bears. “Anyone there witnessed not only a great player in Stokes, but a very good Oak Glen team,” said Summers. “While a win would have been nice, to play the caliber of volleyball that we did against them and the other matches was good to see as we have lacked consistency,” he concluded.