No. 6 Wall Downs Tolar in Three Sets to Claim Area Championship

CLYDE, TX — The No. 6-ranked Wall Lady Hawks traveled to Clyde on Monday to face off with Tolar in the area round. After a dominant first set, the Lady Hawks had to come back against a stingy Tolar Lady Rattlers team that never seemed to go away. Wall claimed the win in three sets, 25-15, 25-22, 25-10, to advance to the Class 3A Division II regional semifinals. 

"Tolar did not back down," Wall head coach Kimberly Branch said. "I was very happy about how we responded and competed tonight."

The first set remained relatively even until Wall took control around the 10-point mark. The Lady Hawks would then go on a 12-4 run to reach 20 points first.

Wall claimed the first set, 25-15, after an emphatic spike from senior middle hitter Lyla Stansberry.

The Lady Rattlers battled back in the second set to take a 5-3 lead before the Lady Hawks battled back as the two teams approached the middle of the set.

Wall took its first lead, 7-6, but Tolar quickly took back control and reached 10 points first, 10-9. Up 19-16 later in the set, it looked like Tolar would run away with it. However, great serves from Lexi Kemp and an all-around top-tier effort from the Lady Hawks saw Wall win five points in a row and take a 21-19 lead.

"Even when Tolar made it to 20 before us, we did not ever let up," senior Peyton Dickson said. "On the court, you can just feel it. Nobody is laying down. Nobody is giving up. Everybody had that next-ball mindset, and we can really come back and fight back from anything. I can trust my teammates to never let each other down."

The Lady Hawks won the race to 25 points to claim the second set, 25-22.

Brynlee Graves claimed the first break point in Set 3 to give the Lady Hawks control, 3-1.

The Graves show continued as Wall took further control thanks to timely kills and two service aces from the Lady Hawks’ sophomore outside hitter, 15-4. A jack-of-all-trades kind of player for the Lady Hawks, Graves' versatility continued to be an asset as Wall took control late.

"It's kinda cool being able to play all positions," Graves said. "I think when I'm front row, I don't have to worry about being in the back, and it takes my mind off of passing. And then when I'm in the back passing, I don't need to worry about the girls up front, so it all comes together."

Berkeley Jenschke and Hadley Kadlacek jumped in the scorecard as the Lady Hawks ran away with the third set. Wall led 18-7 when the celebrations started. Tolar battled back but could not deal with the Lady Hawks' dangerous offense.

Wall took set No. 3 and the area championship.

You cannot say enough about the play from libero Lexi Kemp on Tuesday night. While her name may not appear as much in the headlines, her defense turned away a talented group of hitters from the Lady Rattlers. It seemed that any time Tolar made it through Wall's block at the net, Kemp was ready and waiting to dig it off the floor. If the Lady Hawks are to make another deep run in 2026 — following their state semifinal run last year — it will be on the back of Kemp's defense.

"Lexi is a great libero," Graves said. "We count on her for a lot. She's the leader of the court. Being on most of the time, she's talking to the front row, talking to the back row, she talks to everybody. She's a big part of our success."

Next up, the Lady Hawks will play the winner of Idalou and No. 2 Odessa Compass in the regional semifinals. Time, date and location for that matchup are still to be determined.