Lady Hawks advance to regional semis

LONGVIEW, Texas—A playoff win is 10 times sweeter when it’s a sweep.

Pleasant Grove swept Rusk, 33-31, 27-25, 27-25 in a Region II-4A quarterfinal volleyball match Tuesday at Longview High School’s Lobo Coliseum. PG is back in the regional tournament for the first time in five years.

“We broke the four-year streak of not going to the semifinals, so this win is huge,” Lady Hawk head coach Amy Collvins said. “We just stood in there, held our own, and kept fighting even when we were down.”

Britton Anderson paced Pleasant Grove with 16 kills, Kaylee Kelley had 25 assists, and Madeline Haak served in 9 points.

Macey Adams had 10 digs to go with 8 kills, Allison Michaelis made 16 assists, Natalie Hale had 9 blocks, Sydney Hopkins made 9 digs, and Madi Morris had 4 blocks for the Hawks.

Pleasant Grove plays Argyle in the regional semifinals at Mesquite Poteet High School Friday at 6 p.m. The Lady Eagles topped Decatur, 25-17, 19-25, 25-20, 25-16.

“I knew we were going to win the whole time,” Anderson, a PG senior, said. “We had the motivation and all of the energy. I knew we had it every time I hit the ball.

“We never got down, we believed in ourselves, and I am glad to have that this year.”

The first set was the longest first set for the Hawks all season. PG got off to a 14-8 lead but saw it dis-

We had the motivation and all of the energy. I knew we had it every time I hit the ball. We never got down, we believed in ourselves, and I am glad to have that this year.” —Britton Anderson, PG senior

appear when Rusk scored three straight at two different times during its 8-2 run. The Eagles’ run tied it up at 16-all.

There were 15 ties during the first at 2, 3, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31-all.

Adams hit a kill to give the Hawks the serve back at 32-31, and the Eagles committed a hitting error to give PG the set.

Set two was tied at 10 times: 7, 8, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, and 25-all.

The Hawks took an early 12-9 lead, but the Eagles chipped away until they tied it at 15-all.

Morris hit a kill down the back line to give PG a 17-16 lead. Rusk committed a hitting error on the next point and the score was 18-16.

The Eagles scored three straight to take a 23-21 lead later in the set, but the Hawks never stopped fighting and tied it at 24-all after an Anderson kill that went down the left baseline.

Rusk got the serve back up 25-24, but Anderson fired down another kill to knot it up again at 25-25.

Adams sent a kill down the center of the floor to make it 26-25, and Hale got a block at the net on the next point to seal it.

Pleasant Grove built a 20-15 lead in the third set, but the Eagles rallied back to within a point, 20-19.

The teams went back and forth, and the third set was tied at 1, 3,5, 22, 23, 24, and 25-all.

Hopkins took the service line with the score 25-25, and Georgia Cobb hit a tip for the Hawks to make it match point. Haak, a senior, torched a kill down the left baseline for the win, 27-25.