Lady Hawks sweep N. Lamar

TEXARKANA, Texas — The Pleasant Grove Lady Hawks volleyball squad wanted to make sure the crowd could walk across the pavilion for the start of kickoff.

Pleasant Grove (16-4, 6-1) swept North Lamar Friday at Hawk Gym, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20.

”I know the girls are going to feed off me if I get too upset, so I can use that as a negative or a positive,” Pleasant Grove head volleyball coach Amy Collvins said. “I can use it as a positive thing because they know when I’m super excited, it can get a little crazy.

“I try to make sure anything they’re feeding off me is positive reinforcement. I want to make sure they’re always mentally and emotionally in-check.”

The Hawks held a 5-0 lead while Adi Koller opened the set at the service line.

After trailing 8-2, the Lady Panthers chipped away at the PG lead, taking their first lead of the game with Erica King at the serve line, 9-8.

Emma Doyal finished the match with 10 points for North Lamar.

Both schools committed hitting infractions and net errors, swapping points until the score read 22-19, Pleasant Grove.

Lexi Snyder forced three consecutive Panther errors to take the set for the Hawks.

Pleasant Grove continued attacking the North Lamar middle hitters much of the second set.

The Hawks led 5-2 on three consecutive Panther hitting errors.

The Pleasant Grove setters forced the Panthers’ front line to jump when they were setting, resulting in North Lamar netting errors.

Katie Ferguson led the Hawks with nine kills and 15 assists, while teammate Ella Nichols added 15 digs.

PG broke the Panther’s serve seven times on hitting infractions.

“I think we adjusted well,” Collvins said. “We have film on them and we’ve played them previously this season. We were able to prepare well for them. I told our girls in the locker room that they utilized what we taught them yesterday, offensively and defensively.

“They applied everything we worked on and they looked good doing it.”

The Panthers put Pleasant Grove on their heels to start the match with a 5-0 edge.

The Hawks were able to break serve on a North Lamar hitting error, 6-1.

Macy Young cut into the Panther cushion at the serve line, bringing PG within two points, 6-4.

Young finished the match with 20 assists and teammate Hallie Lipham added five kills.

PG took its first lead of the match when Harleigh O’Neal was at the service line, following a Hawk block.

O’Neal accounted for six points in the first set and finished the match with three kills.

“O’Neal really made a difference for us tonight with her presence at the net,” Collvins said.

Both squads swapped points until a 17-17 tie. The Hawks scored three unanswered points with Young at the serve line and ultimately took the set on a

Sarah Hale kill.

“At the very beginning, we started so slow with errors,” Collvins said. “I think they may have had seven points, but we gave them six on errors. Anytime you’re able to overcome that and still come out 25-19, it shows we’re a mentally tough team.

“That’s a good win for us. We’re in second place right now and that still gives us a chance to tie for first. That’s what we’re aiming for, the playoffs.”

The Lady Hawks are back in action Tuesday, traveling to Gilmer.