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Nail biter: Lady Bobcats prevail in five-set affair
BY Chris O’Dell, codell@starlocalnews.com
The Lady Bobcats looked ready for a straight-set sweep in their bi-district match against Gainesville on Tuesday.
Celina won the opening two sets, including a comeback victory in the second frame, and found itself within reach of making quick work of the team’s first-round playoff opponent.
“We got off to a really good start,” said Billy Coleman, Celina head coach. “We battled the entire time.”
The Lady Bobcats came through when it mattered most though, earning a four-point victory in the final set for a 3-2 (25-15, 25-23, 17-25, 21-25, 15-11) playoff win.
“The kids rose to the challenge,” Coleman said. “We had several players really step up for us.”
One of those players was sophomore outside hitter KJ Stastny, who led all players in kills.
“I can’t say enough about her play,” Coleman said. “Her intensity level was amazing and the other girls just fed off her.”
Gainesville was fresh off a victory over Krum, which decided Celina’s first-round matchup.
“We knew [Gainesville] would be a scrappy team,” Coleman said. “They played hard all night long.”
The victory improved Celina’s season mark to 24-15 with an area-round contest against Melissa next in line.
“We’ve got our hands full with [Melissa],” Coleman said. “We will need a strong performance.”
The two teams met in a Sept. 14 match with the Lady Bobcats prevailing for a tough non-district win.
The Lady Cardinals navigated through their District 12-3A slate with an unbeaten mark and enter tonight’s match against Celina without a loss since the Sept. 14 meeting against the Lady Bobcats.
Despite entering the playoffs as the third seed from District 10-3A, Coleman said Celina has plenty of big-game experience already this season and should be prepared for the Lady Cardinals.
“We’re not really surprised by anything,” he said. “We’ve kind of already seen whatever they can throw at us.”
The area-round match will begin at 7 p.m. from Van Alstyne.
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