College Park Lady Cavaliers fight through adversity, upend Kingwood Mustangs in four games

KINGWOOD, Texas -- The College Park Lady Cavaliers (21-6, 3-2) came together on the road to upend the Kingwood Mustangs (20-8, 3-2) in four games; 17-25, 25-9, 25-20, 25-19. This is the second time College Park has beaten Kingwood, but first time in district play. The first matchup saw College Park take down Kingwood in the Spring Branch Invitational in straight sets 25-23, 25-21, on August 23rd.

“We started off (our game) a little on serve/receive,” said College Park Head Coach Candice Collins. “They blocked some really big balls at the beginning, but I thought we responded really well. Really proud of the girls tonight.”

Leaders for the contest were Kennedi Smith with 12 kills and 14 Digs. Emily Thorson had nine kills and a team high 22 digs. Hannah Erwin had seven kills and 11 digs, to go along with her team high 39 assists. Savannah Rutledge added 18 digs, and Macey Rabson tallied ten kills and five aces for the contest.

The first game started with the teams alternating points, until a kill by Haley Sobosle down the middle of the court made it 3-1 College Park. After a 4-2 College Park advantage, the Mustangs went on a scoring spree taking the next four points, but the run was stopped when a kill by Thorson was too strong for a return, making the score 6-5 Kingwood. A Thorson kill stopped a small Kingwood run following the previous Thorson kill, but the score was beginning to separate at 12-8 Kingwood. A deep kill by Macey Rabson got the score to 15-12, but Kingwood came back with two straight points to take a 17-12 lead to force a Cavalier timeout. The timeout didn’t stop the Mustang momentum, as they reeled off the next three points to take a 20-12 advantage. College Park went on a run toward the end of the game, but the deficit was too much to overcome. After a drop shot from the Mustangs, the first game finished 25-17 in favor of Kingwood.

The second game started with both teams playing well. An ace by Rabson gave College Park a 2-1 edge, but it was short lived as the teams continued to trade points. Neither team garnered more than a one-point advantage until a Hannah Erwin quick shot gave the Cavaliers a 5-3 edge. With Rutledge serving, the Cavaliers went on a run and took an 8-4 lead before Kingwood called for a time out. A Thorson dropshot to the center of the court made sure the Lady Cavaliers stayed in front, giving them an 11-6 edge in the second game. A great one-handed dig by Rutledge from the deep court, finished by a Kennedi Smith kill down the line, saw the lead grow to 14-6 Lady Cavaliers, and they were in control of the second game. The Mustangs continued to have issues dealing with Thorson’s serve, and after a nine-point serving run, the Cavaliers were able to take a 20-6 edge before Kingwood could break the streak. A Sobosle kill to the far side of the court put the game out of reach, and the Lady Cavaliers had evened the contest at one game each, winning the second game 25-9.

“For them to come back like they did and win the second game like that, not get nervous, I was really proud of them,” said Collins.

The third game saw both teams fighting for momentum, and after a cross-court kill by Rabson, the third game was all knotted at eight. A combination block by Smith and Rabson gave College Park an 11-10 lead, and a Rabson ace immediately after, made it 12-10 Lady Cavaliers. An error by College Park would even the score at 13-13, and the third game was going to be a fight to the finish. The teams traded points until a Thorson kill gave the Lady Cavaliers a two-point edge at 19-17 and forced a Kingwood timeout. A Smith kill that was tipped but not returned, upped the score to 22-19 College Park, and a Rabson kill gave the Lady Cavaliers the third game at 25-20, and they took a 2-1 lead in the match.

Another Rabson serve that wasn’t returned kick-started the fourth game, and College Park jumped out to a 4-2 advantage. A Rabson kill on an overpass by Kingwood knotted the score at 10-10, and the fourth game was shaping up similar to the third. An ace by Rabson put the Lady Cavaliers up 12-11, but the teams continued to trade points. After the score was 12-10 College Park, neither team garnered more than a one point lead until a Kingwood attack error made it 17-15 College Park, and forced a timeout by Kingwood. A Kingwood attack error that went long made the score 20-16 Lady Cavaliers, and they were starting to separate themselves in the fourth game. An Erwin serve that Kingwood struggled to return, saw their attempt blocked back by Rabson, and the score ballooned to 22-17 Lady Cavaliers. A Kayla Black kill to center court ended the fourth game and the match, with the Cavaliers taking the fourth game 25-19.

College Park won despite only suiting up nine players for the contest. Kilee Burke missed the game with an injury, and Paige Kempker missed the game with an illness. Both player returns are unknown at this point, but they should return shortly.

“We’ve really been working on staying focused and staying up,” said Collins. “Our confidence tonight was good. We knew we were playing a strong team, but they battled point-for-point and didn’t get real nervous “

The Lady Cavaliers continue district play at home against Conroe on Friday, October 3rd at 5:30pm.