SONORA, TX-- Behind Brae Harris’ double-double the 15th-ranked Sonora Lady Broncos were able to escape with a win in a four-set thriller with the Miles Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday.
The junior hitter finished with 11 kills and 12 digs.
The Lady Broncos trailed by as many as 10 in the fourth and final set before coming back to win 25-23.
“This was a really good win for us because I was worried about Miles,” said Sonora head coach Judi Harris. “I watched them play and they’re a pretty salty team. So, for us to actually pull this out from being behind, that’s huge for us.”
Sonora won the first two sets 25-14 and 25-21. Miles took the third set 25-22 in come-from-behind fashion.
The Lady Bulldogs looked to be on their way to a decisive fifth set with a 10-point lead in the fourth. Miles continuously stayed out of reach by winning point after point, but the Lady Broncos stormed back to win the match, despite using only one timeout in the fourth set.
“I’m really trying to make sure that, when we get into these situations, they don’t look to me to pull them out of these situations,” Harris said. “I want them to pull themselves out and they did...They were slowly able to edge their way out and they never quit.”
Senior hitter Mary Kyle Johnson once again led the team in kills with 14, but the Lady Bronco offense spread the wealth, giving a plethora of opportunities to Brae Harris, who finished with 11 kills, Raeven Harris and Kodi Davis. In Harris’ eyes, spreading the attack across the net is what gave Sonora success.
“That’s what we’ve been focussing on,” Harris added. “It’s easy to feed [Mary Kyle] the ball, but, when we spread the ball out, we play better as a team...And she’s better defensively when we’re not feeding her the ball constantly.”
Having a multi-faceted attack also freed Brae, Camille and Raeven Harris to play defense. The three Harris’s each finished with double figure digs.
Camille posted a team-leading 13 digs and Raeven finished with 10 to compliment Brae’s 12.
The Lady Bulldog’s were kept in the match thanks to libero Libby Crouch’s 13 digs and Skyler Brooks’ 11 kills.
Allie Kalina dug out six Sonora attacks and assisted the Lady Bulldogs on 13.
For Sonora, the win marked a turning of the corner as non-district play winds down and district play looms.
“This was pretty big,” Harris said of the win. “Don’t get me wrong, we have huge competition with Water Valley, Fredericksburg and Del Rio. But to play a tough team, to come from behind and to win, I think this is going to be the straw that broke the back.”
Sonora (12-10) will travel to Del Rio this Saturday before returning home to face Fredericksburg on Sept. 11.
Miles will host Paint Rock on Sept. 11 at 6:15 p.m. to start district play.
Guerrero’s Direction Guides Central to Sweep in Non-District Finale
The Central Lady Cats dispatched the Abilene Wylie Lady Bulldogs from Babe Didrikson Gym in straight sets to close out non-district play on Tuesday.
Central won 25-19, 25-9 and 25-16 against their Class 4A foe.
Veronica Guerrero tallied 29 assists for the Lady Cat offense.
The junior helped set up an 11-kill night for senior Trinity Southall. Also getting in on the attack were Steely Poss (7), Kristen Gomez (6) and Abbie Rivera (4).
Addi Bonaventure was a wall for the Lady Cat defense, posting 18 digs. Adding an extra layer of depth to that wall were Rivera and Anastacia Candela with 10 digs each.
Central improves to 20-5 and will kick off District 3-6A on the road against Euless Trinity (6-13).
Bronte Closes Out Non-District with Sweep of 3A Clyde
In their final game of their non-district slate, the Bronte Lady Longhorns swept Class 3A Clyde at home on Tuesday.
The Lady Longhorns won 25-11, 25-15 and 25-14.
Kristen Stilley led the Lady Longhorn attack with six kills in the sweep. Bryton Pearcy wasn't far behind with four kills to her name.
Cassidy McWright set up that attack with 14 assists for Bronte.
Baily Torres led the team in digs with nine.
The Lady Longhorns improve to 14-7 on the year. They'll open District 7-2A play on Saturday by hosting Veribest at 1 p.m.
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