WHITE OAK — For the second weekend in a row and third time this season, Hallsville got the better of Robert E. Lee.
The Lady Raiders were stopped in two games by Hallsville (25-20, 25-20) in the championship of the White Oak Tournament on Saturday.
Lee finished as runner-up to Hallsville in a tournament for the second straight week, but to reach the final the Lady Raiders had to get past state-ranked Spring Hill (25-18, 25-15) and always tough North Lamar (17-25, 25-16, 25-17).
Lee finished as tournament champion in Longview and was runner-up in both the Tyler ISD and White Oak tournaments. In both instances, REL lost to Hallsville in the championship match.
REL coach Melissa Lee said it has been a strong pre-district for Lee (16-7), which starts District 11-6A play on Friday at home to Rockwall.
“We played in the toughest pool and played some good teams all weekend.” Lee said. “The win over Spring Hill was big (for the girls) and this was good experience to get us ready for district.”
On Friday, Lady Raiders defeated Pleasant Grove, 25-16, 25-20. Freshman April Brown led the way with seven kills while Claire Himes, Emily Starr and Kayce Brown finished with three apiece. Taylor Winchester had 14 digs with Jamie Mills and Jamesha Hutton each totaling seven digs. Hutton also had three aces with Genesis Borens and Claire Newberry finishing with 11 and eight assists, respectively.
In their second match, a 25-16, 25-23 win over Pine Tree, Caroline Lynch led offensively with six kills while Mills, Hutton and Himes each had four. Winchester had a team-high 10 digs with Mills and Hutton each finishing with six. Alexa Winfrey had two aces and 13 assists with Borens chipping in 12 assists. April Brown led with 2.5 blocks.
Brock stopped Lee in two games, 25-17, 25-22. Mills and Lynch each had five kills in the loss with Hutton, Starr and April Brown finishing with three kills. Winchester and Hutton totaled 14 and 12 digs, respectively with Borens (10 assists) and Winfrey (9 assists) contributing as well. Hutton also had two aces with Himes, Hutton and April Brown each registering a block.
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White Oak Tournament
Championship
Hallsville 2, Robert E. Lee 0
Robert E. Lee 20 20
Hallsville 25 25
KILLS LEADERS — REL: Jamie Mills, 5; Claire Himes, 4; Emily Starr, 4..
DIGS LEADERS — REL: Taylor Winchester, 19.
ASSISTS LEADERS — REL: Alexa Winfrey, 10, Genesis Borens, 9.
ACES LEADERS — REL: Winfrey, 4; Jamesha Hutton, 2.
BLOCKS LEADERS — REL: Himes, Starr.
RECORDS — Robert E. Lee 16-7
NEXT UP — Rockwall at Lee, 6:30 p.m. Friday
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Semifinals
Robert E. Lee 2, North Lamar 1
North Lamar 25 16 17
Robert E. Lee 17 25 25
KILLS LEADERS — REL: Kayce Brown, 8; Claire Himes, 8; Jamesha Hutton, 7.
DIGS LEADERS — REL: Taylor Winchester, 19; Hutton, 11; Mills, 10; Genesis Borens, 10.
ASSISTS LEADERS — REL: Alexa Winfrey, 18; Borens, 16.
BLOCKS LEADERS —REL: Himes, 5; Brown, 2.5.
ACES LEADERS — REL: Himes, Borens, Hutton, Winchester
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Robert E. Lee 2, Spring Hill 0
Robert E. Lee 25 25
Spring Hill 18 15
KILLS LEADERS — REL: Claire Himes, 6; Emily Starr, 5; Jamie Mills, 5; Jamesha Hutton, 4.
DIGS LEADERS — REL: Taylor Winchester, 18; Hutton, 13; Mills, 10.
ASSISTS LEADERS — REL: Genesis Borens, 11; Alexa Winfrey, 6.
ACES LEADERS — REL: Borens, 2; Winchester, 2.