LINDALE — Lindale improved to 28-3 on the season and 2-0 in District 16-4A with a three-game victory against John Tyler on Tuesday.
The Lady Eagles took the match 25-20, 25-12, 25-22.
"It's great going 2-0; it's a great start for us," Lindale coach Meghan Renicker said. "We have a lot to work on, though. We made a lot of mistakes tonight. But we're really excited with how we're coming along this season."
Lindale, ranked No. 9 in the state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association, returns to action Friday at Nacogdoches. JT (10-22, 0-2), which opened district with a loss to Nacogdoches, travels to Whitehouse on Friday.
Zhanelle Geathers finished with eight kills, two aces and three blocks to lead Lindale, which fended off John Tyler's late attempt to extend the match to a fourth game. The Lady Eagles were also led by Makenna Allen (seven kills, three aces, five digs), Travicia Acy (seven kills, four blocks) and Sydney Tiiman (25 assists, five kills, four digs).
Kashanti Flowers finished with seven kills to pace the Lady Lions, who appeared to never give up in all three games despite going against a team with hitters all over the floor. JT's other leading players were Chenique Baxter (six kills), Kandice Jackson (11 assists), DeDe Rouge (10 assists) and Aaliyah Waalee (five digs).
"We had a lot of good points but we also had a lot of mental errors," Lady Lions coach LaMessa Derrett said. "It's all about who wants it the most. … Some of the girls stepped up and showed some heart."
Following a close opening game, Lindale put its talent on display in the second with an 11-0 run that turned a 9-8 lead into a commanding 20-8 advantage. Allen provided three aces during that run, which also featured kills from multiple players while Geathers rested.
After Allen scored the final point for a two-game lead, the Lady Eagles went ahead 4-1 in the third on back-to-back aces by Nicole Borger. They extended the lead to 14-8 in few minutes later, but JT went on an 8-2 run to tie things at 16-16.
Lindale kept a small cushion from that point forward and ended the match with Acy's final kill.
"I think we've worked on that a lot, being able to pull through and finish the point," Renicker said. "They have some heart. … I've got hitters all around the court. When one's not on for a night, I've got other ones that are on and playing well."
JT hopes to rebound and get its first district win Friday.
"We are going to go home and work on a few things," Derrett said. "It's all here. It's all about heart and it's mental. That's all we've got to do.
"We have the skills. We can pass when we want to pass. We can set and we can hit. It's all about executing and putting it all together."