Even the supporting cast was on fire in tonight's match against Klein Oak.
Warm and cozy? Who are we kidding?.....The Lady Bulldogs were on FIRE tonight as they lit up the scoreboard while sweeping the Klein Oak Lady Panthers by playing perhaps their finest match of the season! The Lady Bulldogs played with great intensity in front of their hometown fans by overpowering and out-hustling the Lady Panthers in 3 games (27-25, 25-17, and blowing away Klein Oak 25-11 in Game #3).
It's easy to see how there is 'no chance' to defend against the 'Williams' Glide'.
Here's the 'unoffical' results:
In Game #1 Michele 'Boom Boom' Williams got the Lady Bulldogs going with a thundering kill at 2-2, followed by a couple of kills by Lauren Michael to put them on top at 5-4. The Lady Bulldogs held the lead with some great plays by Hannah Fort (a kill and ace serve); Michele Williams (2 Blocked points and 4 kills); Jamie Kaleh's kill off the Lady Panthers arms; and another Lauren Michael kill thrown in; until Magnolia faltered somewhat and Klein Oak made a surge (very reminiscent of the "heart-stopping" Game #1 vs Klein Oak in the Spring Branch Tournament semifinals - which Magnolia won 27-25) to go ahead at 23-21.
After a strategic time-out, the Bulldogs used Lauren Michael's arms and legs to tie the game up with kills at 23-23 and 24-24. The advantage went back to Klein Oak at 25-24, then tied again at 25-25. Michele Williams stunned the Lady Panthers with a great blocked point at 26-25 - the crowd got wild and Klein Oak called a time-out to cool down the Dawgs. When play resumed, a great volley ensued until Heather Bowden made an outstanding defensive play getting the ball back over the net (backwards) and Klein Oak couldn't return it Ding!...
Dawgs: 27..Panthers: 25...
Lady Bulldog OH Jamie Kaleh "puttin' on the hits"
on the left side against a pair of Lady Panthers.
Game #2 the Lady Bulldogs led from start to finish utilizing their momentum and a balanced attack. Jamie Kaleh played extremely well tonight (3 kills and a ace serve in this game) with help from Kelli Stewart ( a kill and blocked point); Hannah Fort (2 kills, ace serve and assist blk with Lauren Michael); Michele Williams (2 kills); Lauren Michael (3 kills); and 2 ace serves by Caitlin Holland. Whew....I'm sure I left some one out...it was tough keeping up with all those bodies flying all over the place! Setters Mary Chadwick and Caitlin Holland played great defensively as well, and combined their skills to produce 31 assists while keeping the Lady Panthers on the run. But the Lady Bulldogs had some really great digs -mostly from Klein Oak's main weapon (Bridget LaPlante) while they were putting on quite a 'defensive show'. I do know, though...the Lady Bulldogs clearly dominated the Lady Panthers and sparked a hot burning flame that lit up the Dawg House!
Lady Panther Bridget LaPlante is 'monster' blocked by Heather
Bowden and Hannah Fort and the game was turned in Magnolia's favor.
Game #3... again, Jamie Kaleh lit it up with 3 kills and a blocked point; Hannah Fort had a smorgasbord of: 2 kills, 2 blocked points, an ace serve, and a great assist blk with Heather Bowden - on a Bridget LaPlante monster hit; 'Boom Boom' had 2 kills (one from her patented 'Williams' Glide') and a blocked point; and a paltry 3 kills from Lauren Michael (one from the back row). With each point the crowd got louder - 'juicing' the ladies even more; the bench was into the moment- and doing "the Wave"; and the Lady Bulldogs responded by pouring on the attack - stretching the lead to 15 points at 23-8, before relenting to a final score of 25-11. Coach J gave the ladies a rest and substituted players so they could gain some well earned playoff-type experience and to avoid any injuries.
Leaders: Magnolia - Lauren Michael - 12 kills, 1 ace, 9 digs, 1 block; Michelle Williams - 10 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks; Jamie Kaleh - 7 kills, 1 ace, 4 digs, 1 block; Hannah Fort - 6 kills, 3 aces, 2 digs, 3 blocks; Kelli Stewart - 1 kill, 1 block; Kristin Bergen - 10 digs; Heather Bowden - 3 blocks; Caitlin Holland - 2 aces, 14 assists; Mary Chadwick - 1 ace, 17 assists
Klein Oak - Bridget LaPlante - 13 kills
Records: Magnolia 25 - 11......Klein Oak 27 - 8
OH Lauren Michael launching a kill cross court in Game #2.
Wow!!...What a great warmup match this turned out to be for the Lady Bulldogs! The ladies needed to continue to build up their confidence and momentum (from the Cy Falls' match forward) as they prepare for Tuesday night's match against the Memorial Lady Mustangs. The Mustangs took care of Langham Creek tonight in 3 games (25-15, 25-19, and 25-20) and we can only hope they take Magnolia lightly. The peaking Lady Bulldogs, on the other hand need to prepare themselves, 'lie low' until game time, and play their game aggressively and intensely - like they did tonight! They should feel confident that they can play with ANYbody!
GO LADY BULLDOGS !!! BULLDOG POWER !!! BULLDOG PRIDE !!!
