Rockwall too much for Lee, 3-0

Published 11:04 pm Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Robert E. Lee threw everything it could at Rockwall.

None of it was enough.

Led by a combined 20 kills from Kelsey Gaertner and Bailey Smith, the Lady Jackets took down REL in three games, 25-18, 25-22, 25-21.

REL held a sizeable lead in Game 2 and provided those in attendance with a hard-fought comeback in Game 3. But in both instances, Rockwall delivered the crucial points when it mattered to close out wins.

The 3-0 sweep Tuesday at Varsity Gym dropped the Lady Raiders to 1-2 in District 12-5A while Rockwall moved to 4-0.

“We just kept giving them points and that’s what makes the difference,” REL coach Melissa Lee said. “We can’t afford to give away points, especially when we play a team that runs as quick an offense as they do.”

Claire Himes totaled eight kills to pace the REL offense, with Rebekah Bowden and Jamie Mills each finishing with three apiece.

Jamesha Hutton had five aces to go along with 16 digs, Bowden had three blocks and Taylor Winchester finished with 24 digs. Setters Genesis Borens and Nicole Trpkosh finished with 11 and 10 assists, respectively.

Many of the Lady Raiders’ hit attempts were against double and sometimes triple blocks while a large portion of Rockwall’s offense was unblocked.

Coach Lee said that played a big role in the final outcome.

“Our blockers were not getting there,” Lee said. “They started to that last game, but they run a quicker offense and our blockers aren’t used to the speed of that and we just weren’t closing our blocks.”

REL fell behind Rockwall and never recovered in Game 1, with Katherin Jowers powering down an emphatic spike on game point.

In Game 2, however, the Lady Raiders race out to a 7-2 lead, thanks to unforced errors from Rockwall. REL maintained a five-point cushion, 10-5, until the visitors started reeling the Lady Raiders back in.

Rockwall tied things up 17-17 and the teams traded points at 20-20 and 21-21.

An ace by Hutton gave REL a 22-21 advantage when Rockwall called a timeout.

Smith then took over for Rockwall, winning the next point on a kill before serving out the next three to stun Varsity Gym crowd and take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The Lady Jackets looked ready to rout REL in Game 3, building a 16-7 lead. But this time it was REL that rallied back with Bowden providing kills and blocks and Hutton two more aces.

An unforced error by Rockwall made the deficit one point, 18-17, but REL could never draw any closer.

Rockwall used kills from Gaertner, Bayleigh Scott and Bailey Smith to complete the sweep.

REL will next face Mesquite Horn at 6:30 p.m. Friday at John Horn High School in Mesquite.

———

District 12-5A

Rockwall 3, Robert E. Lee 0

Rockwall252525

Robert E. Lee182221

KILLS LEADERS — RW: Kelsey Gaertner, 10; Bailey Smith, 10; Bayleigh Scott, 5; Rose Njuko, 5. REL: Claire Himes, 8; Jamie Mills, 3; Rebekah Bowden, 3.

DIGS LEADERS — REL: Taylor Winchester, 24; Jamesha Hutton, 16.

ASSISTS LEADERS — RW: Hannah Adams, 30. REL: Genesis Borens, 11; Nicole Trpkosh, 10.

BLOCKS LEADERS — RW: Njuko, 4; Scott, 3. REL: Bowden, 3.

ACES LEADERS — RW: Smith, 3. REL: Hutton, 6.

RECORDS — Rockwall 14-13 (4-0); Robert E. Lee 19-9 (1-2).

NEXT UP — Lee at Mesquite Horn, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.