Lady Loboes Sweep District 3-3A - Await Opponent in Bi-District Round
    By Randy Hogan, Staff Writer ~ ~ The Monahans New, October 28, 2005

The Lady Loboes completed their sweep of District 3-3A volleyball Tuesday, extending their undefeated district record to four consecutive years by defeating Pecos  in straight sets 25-16, 25-10, 25-7

Monahans (37-3 season, 6-0 district) stretched their string of district victories to 32 with the win over the Eagles, and continue to hold onto their number one state ranking in Class 3A.  MHS ended the 2004 season in the top spot, and have held the same position the entire 2005 season.

The Ladies faced an inspired Pecos team Tuesday, but overcame a quick Eagle start to leave PHS winless in district play. Coach Debbie Garcia's team began the match playing like it was their state championship on the line, making the long-time rival game interesting at the start. 

"It was the last game of the season for them," Coach Patty Dominguez said. "Pecos came out strong and played with pride".

The Eagles (11-22 season, 0-6 district) scored the first point of the night and continued to battle the Green point for point. Catherine Cutbirth's ace tied the game at 7-7, but game officials determined that Monahans had served out of turn, thus deducting a point from MHS and giving it to Pecos.

Trailing 6-8 after the controversy, the Ladies broke the Eagle serve, and Bailey Marcum pushed MHS out front from the serving line.

 Marcum served six consecutive points in her rotation, getting big hits from Brittany Hughes and Bethany Willmon to extend the serve and a 15-9 lead.

Willmon followed at the line with three points to extend the Ladies lead to 19-10. Alison Miller picked up her first of nine kills on the night with a big blast into the Pecos defense.

Monahans held off a late charge by the Eagles, and Marcum pounded the final point of the set to the PHS side of the court for a 25-16 victory.

"The girls were really focused tonight," Coach Dominguez said. "We were a little slow coming out of a week off, but we adjusted well.'

In game two of the match, Monahans took the lead on the first serve by Marcum. The Ladies would not surrender the lead in the set, but distanced themselves from the Eagles in Hughes rotation at the  line.

The All-State hitter pounded the Eagles from the line with her sky-high jump serve, picking up seven points and two aces. Miller added hammer-like kills during Hughes service, and the Lady Loboes took a resounding  14-4 lead.

"Brittany has really worked hard on her serve this season," Dominguez said. "That is one of the things in her repertoire that she works hard to improve."

Candace Swarb's sets were near perfect, enabling the Green to pick their shots at the Eagle defense. Swarb finished the night with 36 assists.

Pecos cut the lead in half at 18-9, but the Eagle rally hit a roadblock as Cutbirth slammed the door on PHS from the service line.

Cutbirth blasted five points in her rotation at the line, including an ace to move the Ladies to a 22-9 lead.

Dina Ortiz served the final two points, getting huge kills from Marcum and Hughes to end the game at 25-10.

With nothing to lose, the Eagles took the court spirited in game three after having presented former PHS Coach Granado with an autographed ball from the team. The Eagles took a 0-1 lead on the first serve.

Unfortunately, spirit is not a substitute for intensity. The Lady Loboes remained focused and overpowered the Eagles in the final set.

Marcum reeled off nine consecutive points to give the Ladies a commanding 9-1 lead, and the MHS hitters responded by controlling the net.

Miller, Cutbirth , Marcum, Willmon and Hughes became invincible, blasting kill after kill on the Eagles. The Lady Loboes won the final set of the match 25-7, giving Coach Dominguez her fourth consecutive district sweep dating back to the 2002 season.

"It is always good to come here (Pecos) and play well in front of my old home crowd," Dominguez said. "At this point, I am looking for the girls to execute well. It doesn't matter whose gym we are in, we want to improve our play every time on the court."

Game statistics include: 

Kills
Brittany Hughes - 15
Candace Swarb -  3
Alison Miller - 9
Bethany Willmon - 4
Catherine Cutbirth - 5
Bailey Marcum - 4

Blocks
Hughes - 3
Marcum - 3
Willmon - 1

Digs
Hughes - 8
Willmon - 8
Cutbirth - 6
Marcum - 9
Ortiz - 9

Aces
Hughes - 5
Cutbirth - 2
Marcum - 1

Coach Dominguez continues to search for a practice game before the playoffs begin, but as of today, cannot find anyone willing to step up and face the Green.

Monahans awaits the winner of the Amarillo River Road  vs. Lubbock Cooper game. River Road is representing District 1-3A, and Cooper is from 2-3A.  The Ladies Bi-District playoff game is tentatively set for November 5, depending on their opponent.

"We are looking at seven games left in the season," Dominguez said. "We will take it one game at a time and enjoy the ride with these incredible seniors. Our team goal is to come home with another state title."

The Class 3-A state tournament is scheduled for November 17-19 in San Marcos.

Keyed by Jennifer Ray, Senior