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nyder’s Kendra Bynum gets ready to serve the volleyball during Tuesday’s match against Big Spring. -
Snyder’s Natalee James (11) returns a shot . Snyder swept Big Spring in the District 5-4A match and is tied for second place with Sweetwater.
Snyder turned the tables on Big Spring to start the second half of the District 5-4A volleyball race Tuesday.
After losing at Big Spring in four sets in the district opener, Snyder (15-15, 3-2) swept the Lady Steers at Tiger Gym to remain in a second-place tie with Sweetwater.
Kamiah Davis had nine kills and five blocked shots while Natalee James finished with nine kills, 10 digs and four blocked shots. A’Nia Ware had four kills, 20 assists and eight digs. Kendra Bynum added four kills, 20 assists and five digs.
“We were a little rattled before the last match at Big Spring,” Snyder interim head coach Mindi Bredemeyer said. “We were back at home, started strong from the beginning, maintained the middle and pushed strong at the end. I’m proud of this team.”
With Big Spring holding a 3-1 lead in the first set, Snyder scored seven straight points and eventually built a 20-12 lead.
Big Spring was able to cut the lead to one point on two different occasions, but Snyder scored the final three points to take a 25-21 win.
Big Spring built a 7-3 lead in the second set before Snyder rallied to take an 8-7 lead. With the set tied at 10-10, Snyder scored three consecutive points, but Big Spring scored nine of the next 11 points to build a 20-16 lead. Snyder answered with a 6-1 run and won the set, 25-23.
“I’m glad Big Spring pulled ahead because we have worked on coming from behind in practice,” Bredemeyer said. “That was an opportunity to see that we can fight for the entire match and come out on top. We have been pushing playing together, no matter how much we trailed.”
The lead changed throughout the third set. Trailing 13-11, Snyder scored five straight points to take a 16-13 lead. Snyder scored the final four points of the set to claim the set, 25-17, and the sweep.
“It went back and forth in the third set before we finally got going,” Bredemeyer said. “We might have been a little overconfident or too comfortable, but Big Spring knows how to fight. We fought hard at the end of the match.”
Bredemeyer said winning the match gave the team confidence.
“It kept us in second place and boosted team morale. The girls earned it,” she said.
Sweetwater, which defeated San Angelo Lake View on Tuesday, will play at district leader Midland Greenwood Saturday. Snyder, which beat Sweetwater earlier this year, will host the Lady Mustangs on Tuesday.
“We will have one week to prepare for Sweetwater,” Bredemeyer said. “We will recognize our junior high teams before the match. It will be a big match because we can’t afford a split with Sweetwater and get a high seed for the playoffs. We have a lot of work to do before that match.”
Snyder statistics — A’Nia Ware 4 kills, 20 assists, 8 digs; Abby Benitez 1 service ace, 16 digs; Kamiah Davis 9 kills, 1 assist, 5 blocked shots; Kate McWilliams 8 kills, 1 service ace, 8 digs; Kendra Bynum 4 kills, 20 assists, 5 digs; Madelyn Cravens 6 kills, 1 dig, 1 blocked shot; Natalee James 9 kills, 1 service ace, 10 digs, 4 blocked shots.
DISTRICT 5-4A
VOLLEYBALL
Dist. Season
x-Midland Greenwood 4-0 18-13
Snyder 3-2 15-15
Sweetwater 3-2 14-21
Big Spring 2-3 N/A
San Angelo Lake View 0-5 N/A
Tuesday’s Matches
Snyder def. Big Spring, 25-21, 25-23, 25-17
Sweetwater def. San Angelo Lake View, 25-20, 25-8, 25-17
Friday’s Match
Big Spring at San Angelo Lake View, 4:30 p.m.
Saturday’s Match
Midland Greenwood at Sweetwater, noon
x — Clinched playoff berth