Lady Tigers sweep Clyde in season opener

The Snyder Lady Tiger volleyball opened the 2020 season on a high note, sweeping Clyde 3-0 in the season- and home-opener at Tiger Gym Tuesday. The Lady Tigers dominated at the net and played solid defense en route to the win. “I think it helps set the tone for the season,” head coach Mindi Bredemeyer said. “We’ve got a pretty mixed group as far as some veterans and some young ones, so you don’t really know how they are going to go out there and mesh together and I think we are doing that really well from the start. Getting that first win is a good feeling. It excites them and helps reassure them that they are capable. It’s going to be a good year.” The Lady Tigers’ size at the net was a problem for Clyde from the start. Senior Kamiah Davis recorded a pair of blocks early and the Lady Tigers got off to a 9-2 start in game one. “We have a big front row this year,” Bredemeyer said. “We have a lot more size than we are used to having. It’s really exciting. We have a lot more control because we have a lot more size and we have some aggressive and smart players.” Davis showed that aggressiveness on a block that forced a Clyde time out with the Lady Bulldogs trailing game 1 18-9. Clyde put together a small run, but a Joanie Burns’ kill gave the Lady Tigers the 25-16 game 1 win. The Lady Bulldogs scored the first three points in game 2 before Snyder battled back, drawing within a point. Burns ended a second three-point surge with a well-placed kill into the back left corner. Snyder later tied the game 7-7 following a pair of outs by the Lady Bulldogs. Senior Hayley Humphrey gave the Lady Tigers a 14-10 lead thanks to a pair of kills. Clyde kept the game close and the two teams remained even and were tied at 26-26 as neither team pulled away. Clyde recorded an out before Humphrey ended the game with a service ace, giving the Lady Tigers the 28-26 game 2 win. Game 3 was close, with Clyde pulling ahead 8-5 early. Snyder went on to score seven of the next nine points and took a 12-10 lead thanks to the striking of Davis and Burns. Burns later recorded a kill that put Snyder ahead 22-18, but a Clyde run cut the lead to 22-21. Snyder held on to win the game 25-23 and secured the sweep, 3-0. Snyder starts the year 1-0 and will return to the court on Friday for a doubleheader with Wall and Wink, with the first match starting at 1 p.m. Bredemeyer says she hopes the Lady Tigers continue to improve going forward. “We tend to fall in pretty shallow on defense,” she said. “We just have to make sure we don’t get sucked in instead of staying out and playing those deep balls.” Snyder statistics: Joanie Burns 2 aces, 2 blocks, 4 digs, 10 assists, 7 kills; Myia Braziel 4 aces, 3 digs, 2 kills; Hayley Humphrey 2 aces 1 dig, 4 kills; Kamiah Davis 1 ace, 1 block, 2 digs, 5 assists, 5 kills; Eliza Cowley 1 dig, 4 kills; Aaliyah Braziel 1 block, 1 dig, 3 kills; Dayz Lentz 1 dig, 1 assist; Amy Martinez 2 aces; Abby Benitez 16 digs, 4 assists.