Snyder defeats Vernon in five sets

ALBANY —  Snyder answered the challenge from interim head coach Mindi Bredemeyer during the final two sets to defeat Vernon in a Class 4A bi-district volleyball match Monday.
Snyder (18-16), which won its first playoff match since a 1996 Class 3A bi-district round win over Canyon, will play the Brownwood-Argyle winner in the area round. Brownwood and Argyle will play at 5:30 p.m. today in Breckenridge.
Vernon won the first set 25-20, but Snyder evened the match win a 25-17 win in the second set.
Vernon regained the lead with a 25-19 win in the third set.
“I told them before the fourth set we had to win,” Bredemeyer said. “I told them we were the better team, the stronger hitting team. We had more power and needed to run our offense better and swing. I told the girls you had to want it more and they did it.”
Vernon led 11-5 in the fourth set before Snyder began to gain the momentum. With the set tied 20-20, Snyder scored five of the final six points to claim a 25-21 win.
“We lost our momentum after the third set,” said junior Natalee James, who had 18 kills, seven digs and two blocks. “Our only option going into the fourth set was win or it would be over for us. We played with a lot of heart and knew we needed to pick it up and fight. We fought harder and that gave us momentum. We expected it to be a close mach. It came down to the fact that we wanted to win more.”
In the fifth set, Snyder never trailed in claiming the 15-9 win.
“We put a lot of pressure on Vernon in the fifth set. Getting the lead in the fifth set was great,” Bredemeyer said. “Mentally, it helped coming off a good fourth set and we got on a roll. Once we built the lead to five points, we gained confidence and pushed more.”
James said getting the lead early in the fifth set was the team’s goal.
“It was crucial and we did it,” she said. “We pushed harder than ever. We executed and finished strong. We will take this momentum into the next match and plan to keep fighting as hard as we can.”
Senior A’Nia Ware, who had six kills and 23 assists, said the final two sets showed what the team was capable of accomplishing in the playoffs.
“Winning in the playoffs means the world to me,” she said. “It showed how much heart we have. We survived the ups and downs and we fought together. We had more energy late in the match.”
Sophomore Kamiah Davis, who recorded a team-high eight blocks, said it took time to adjust to Vernon’s game plan.
“We learned where they liked to hit the ball in the beginning of the match,” she said. “Once that happened, it was OK. The momentum shifted to us.”
Bredemeyer said the players came through late in the match.
“Kamiah was great with the big blocks and hits,” she said. “We could not have done this without all of the players. Kate (McWilliams) had great placement of her shots and played good defense. Natalee was the power hitter. A’Nia and Kendra (Bynum) had double digit assists. Madelyn (Cravens) played well in the last two sets.”

Snyder statistics — A’Nia Ware 6 kills, 23 assists, 3 digs, 1 block;  Abby Benitez 1 assist, 20 digs; Kamiah Davis 7 kills, 1 service ace, 1 dig, 8 blocks; Kate McWilliams 6 kills, 1 assist, 6 digs, 1 block; Kendra Bynum 6 kills, 1 service ace, 25 assists, 4 digs; Madelyn Cravens 5 kills, 1 block; Natalee James 18 kills, 1 service ace, 7 digs, 2 block.