Maidens play first district game

     Tuesday evening, Sept. 8 at home, the Ganado Maidens tried hard but lost their first district game in three matches against Schulenburg. The Lady Horns have been ranked number one in the district in past years and tonight was no different, as they were still playing with fire and intensity.

     Kylie Hicks started the game with her serve, but the Maidens didn't get their first point until a Lady Horn serve was short, 6-1. Delaney Workman stepped up as a setter in the first match while Alexis Mojica took the back row and catch some Schulenburg serves. The Maidens had no choice but to up their game against their opponents, and the Lady Horns brought Ganado together in a way they hadn't played before, although the score soon shot up to 15-4.

     Senior Hannah Janssen was back on the court as a server, but still took it easy on her knee. The Maidens added a few points to their score before Mikaela Skalicky came across with a spike that revved up her team and put a point on the scoreboard, 19-6. Hicks took the court again and gave a good serve coupled with a dig that brought the Maidens another couple of points before the Lady Horns won the first match, 25-9. Cheyenne Galindo and Workman paired together for a couple of blocks that did their team proud. Chelsea Rohrman also made some moves her teammates picked up on.

   In the second match the Maidens continued their teamwork and Galindo stepped up with a good kill that brought a point. Rose Contreras stepped up her game as well with digs that made her team proud, although Schulenburg was still racking up the points. Hicks gave a couple of well-placed spikes, while Nicole Ressman and Galindo added digs. Mojica took her spot back as the setter and added some points to the team score, not to mention a couple of digs. The second match was 25-10 in the Lady Horns favor.

     The third match was similar to the first two in that Schulenburg kept winning points, but it was clear the Maidens stepped up their game and communication, giving some plays that any fan would appreciate. Mojica gave an excellent tip the Lady Horns couldn't catch, Contreras added a few more digs, Hicks gave another well-placed kill, and Ressman and Galindo continued to dig where they could. The Lady Horns won the third match, 25-6.

     Janssen said the team is getting much stronger mentally. "We may have our ups and down with both attitude and skill, but the team has been through ups and downs," she said, referring to this season of volleyball play. "We've had injuries, a change in rotation, a new coach and anything else you can think of." She added the team will be focusing on skills, especially passing, but making sure they have fun.

     The Maidens will play in a non-district game on Friday, Sept. 11 in Vanderbilt against the Cobras. Varsity starts at 4:30 p.m.