THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Odessa High School Athletics

Through the first 42 points, the Odessa High and Midland Lee volleyball teams found themselves still even, the Lady Bronchos and Lady Rebels tied at 21. However, in the final moments of the first set, Midland Lee scored four of the last six points to claim the opening win en route to a 25-23, 25-13, 25-9 sweep against Odessa High in a District 2-6A contest on Friday at the OHS Fieldhouse. “That shouldn’t affect us — losing by two,” Odessa High head coach Victoria Smith said. “It should only give us more energy. We are almost there. We just need to push through and finish. “I have a strong team. We just have a few mental blocks that we have to get past.” Adalia Elizondo — a senior outside hitter — said the team played with a high level of energy in the opening set. The Lady Bronchos (6-21 overall, 0-4 District 2-6A) trailed by as many as seven, 10-3, but they slowly inched back. Odessa High scored 16 of the next 25 points and eventually tied the set at 19. Gabrielle Jaquez gave the Lady Bronchos their first lead, 20-19, of the contest after an ace. Odessa High took its final lead of the first set, 21-20, when Midland Lee (23-12, 4-0) committed a two-hit error. After that miscue, the Lady Rebels went on their 5-2 run to close out the set. “The first set, we did very well,” said Elizondo, who finished with six kills and six digs. “We kept up. We did everything that we were supposed to do. We proved in the first set to be the team that we weren’t last year.” Midland Lee head coach Robert Blakely sat quietly on the bench as the team played. The first-year head coach let Callie Stewart — the team’s 26-year-old assistant head coach — roam the sidelines and called out instructions. This was the second time Blakely let Stewart shout out directions in a varsity match. The first was during the Lady Rebels’ nondistrict schedule early in the season. “It’s rare to be under a head coach that’s willing to not necessarily give up the reins, but trust enough in someone to take control a little bit,” Stewart said about Blakely. “He and I are on the same page about everything. What I’m saying and what he’s saying is really in sync. I could be saying the same thing that he’s saying, but it’s coming from a different face, so they might response differently.” In the second set, the Lady Bronchos jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but the Lady Rebels answered with a 19-7 run that spanned a pair of Odessa High timeouts. Midland Lee continued its roll during the third set as the team limited Odessa High to six kills in its final nine points. The Lady Rebels were powered by Emily Hillman and Quinci Strambler, who combined for 21 kills, six blocks and five aces. Hillman posted a team-high 11 kills and four blocks, while Strambler had three aces. Odessa High’s Destiny Velasquez had seven kills. Brianna McClure dished out 10 assists and one block. Gabrielle Jaquez had a game-high 12 digs. The Lady Bronchos continue their season Tuesday, traveling to Wolfforth Frenship for a District 2-6A contest. Smith said the team will focus on maintaining that high level of intensity from set to set. “We are going to get in as much work as we can before Tuesday,” she said. “We are going to see what changes we can make.”

THE OFFICIAL SITE OF
Odessa High School Athletics

MIDLAND LEE FINDS LATE CHARGE IN FIRST SET, SWEEPS ODESSA HIGH

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Odessa American | 9/23/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Mark Sterkel