McCallum clutch as it downs Ann Richards to repeat as District 24-5A champions
It’s a district championship repeat for McCallum.
Faced with the prospect of a three-team playoff later in the week with a loss Tuesday, the Knights took care of business and avenged their only district loss of the year in the process with a 20-25, 25-20, 27-25, 25-23 road win over Ann Richards to claim the District 24-5A title outright for the second year in a row.
“As a senior, this is a really big deal,” said Ella Rankin, who had a five-point serving run to close out the match in the fourth game after the Knights trailed 23-20. “Everybody on the team wanted a district title, and after losing to them previously, this was important. And we didn’t want to go into a playoff for the district title.”
McCallum (28-17, 15-1) entered the match in first place by a game in the loss column over both the Stars and LASA, the latter of which finished district play last Friday. An Ann Richards victory would have forced a three-way tie for the title and a three-team playoff Thursday and Friday to determine playoff seeding, but the Knights were clutch in big moments and pulled off a season-making win in a tough environment on the road.
“We had really good teamwork and communicated well tonight,” Rankin said. “In every timeout we came up with something to improve on, which I think was huge. And we cheered for every little thing with each other.”
While McCallum received its usual solid hitting and steady play from Greta Carlson and Rylee Hissey, who combined for 31 kills and 36 digs, contributions from Rankin, Cate Thoden and Helen Rogers ended up being critical in the contest. Thoden and Rogers were forces in the middle, teaming up for 10 kills and three blocks, while Rankin was one of five Knights in double-digit digs.
Setter Lexi Rosenblatt’s 37 digs and three kills also proved crucial.
“Rylee and Greta were fantastic, but I was impressed with Ella’s serving and defense and Helen was on fire and really clutch for us,” McCallum coach Amy Brodbeck said. “I know that we’re evenly matched with LASA and Ann Richards, but I still thought we were the better team, and I wanted to prove that. Winning district straight out — I love that. And I think the girls do, too.”
Four aces from Sally Barnhill paced the Stars (19-10, 13-3) to their Game 1 win. McCallum used a 10-1 run to take control of Game 2, turning a 13-11 deficit into an eight-point lead, while Game 3 was tight from start to finish.
Thoden had a kill to fight off a Stars game point, with Hissey knocking down a crucial shot three points later before the Knights eventually pulled it out.
The match seemed headed for a fifth game when Noah Morris’ three kills put Ann Richards ahead 23-20 late in Game 4, but Hissey ripped three straight monster shots to tie the game and Rankin forced two serve-receive errors to give McCallum its repeat.
“Knowing that you’re in this with a team, and that you have a huge trophy on the way if you get key points is what keeps you going in those big moments,” said Thoden, crediting team chemistry for McCallum’s resiliency. “We had so many new players entering this season, but now that I’ve gotten to know and bond with everyone over the last three months, it’s a great part to playing well together.”
Barnhill finished with nine kills and five aces and Morris added seven kills to lead the Stars.
McCallum will play Cedar Creek, the No. 4 seed out of District 23-5A in the first round of the playoffs, while Ann Richards will have to wait for the loser of the tiebreaker between Georgetown and Hendrickson.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: It's a repeat: McCallum is again queen of District 24-5A volleyball
