Vipers sweep Chaps for share of district title

Amid the aces, blocks and flurry of kills by Ryan Palmieri, one moment stood out for Vandegrift’s volleyball team during its stunning sweep of visiting Westlake on Tuesday night.

With the Vipers clinging to a one-point lead late in the third set, senior setter Natalie Duffield sprinted toward a deflected shot, dove through the Vandegrift cheerleaders and popped the ball backward toward her teammates. Simone Priebe tracked the ball down and bumped it over the net to keep the point alive. Moments later, Palmieri tipped a kill to the floor that triggered a wild celebration and gave the Vipers 24-22 lead.

Fittingly, Palmieri’s 23rd kill of the match capped the 25-22, 25-23, 25-23 victory that gave the Vandegrift a share of the District 25-6A title as well as the district’s No. 1 seed for the Class 6A playoffs. It was Duffield’s diving save, though, that had the Vipers and their fans aflutter after the game.

“I was just able to get under it and pop it up, and Simone was there to back me up,” said Duffield, who went on to reference the viral video of the leaping save made last week by Decatur’s Autumn Finney. “We’ve all seen video of that girl just flying to get the ball up, and that’s what I was trying to do.”

Vandegrift coach Melissa Southall said the play was typical of how Duffield approaches volleyball, both during practices and matches.

“She will sprint down balls in practice all the time, and we’re like,‘No! No! No! Not worth it!’” Southall said. “But that was incredible. And then Simone getting to the ball? That was senior teamwork, for sure.”

The win gave Vandegrift (39-6, 10-2) its first district championship since the program began in 2009. Co-champ Westlake (26-16, 10-2) claimed its 12th consecutive district title and its 17th district championship in the past 18 years.

Because Vandegrift won both of its 25-6A matches against Westlake, the Vipers enter the playoffs as the district’s top seed and face San Antonio Madison next week in a bi-district playoff. Westlake’s bi-district opponent will be San Antonio Churchill or San Antonio Johnson, which finished tied for second in 26-6A.

Madi Baptiste led Westlake with 11 kills.

Hendrickson def. Westwood, 19-25, 26-24, 25-19, 23-25, 15-3: It was only two matches and 11 days ago that Westwood seemed to take control of the District 13-6A volleyball race. On Oct. 13, the Warriors defeated Stony Point to move into a tie for first place with the Tigers, but with a loss at Hendrickson on Tuesday night, Westwood’s postseason outlook changed as abruptly as fall weather in Texas. Westwood, which lost at Round Rock last week, finished in second place in 13-6A, one game behind Stony Point.

“We hadn’t beaten Westwood in four years,” said Hawks coach Carrie Sulak. “Tonight’s win was a great way for our six seniors to finish their careers.”

Those six seniors include Bryana Hunter, who hammered 12 kills and made three solo blocks against Westwood. Hunter received help from sophomore McKenya Sorrells (six kills and a match-high six aces) and junior Giselle German (21 assists, five kills and 15 digs).

Hawks senior Brooke Keltgen totaled 17 digs and four aces, and senior Sophie Egliht dished out 24 assists for Hendrickson.

Westwood (28-16, 9-3) was led by junior Maddie Kriz (19 kills) and freshman Kenzie Beckham (43 assists and five aces).