Lady Highlanders, Wade sweep College Station

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Hailey Reier and the two-time defending state champion Woodlands Lady Highlanders ushered in the Terri Wade era with an all too familiar 3-0 blanking in handling a stubborn College Station squad, 40-38, 25-19, 25-18. Reier had a colossal night lighting up the stat lap-top to the tune of four aces, 14 kills, a block and 14 digs.

The Woodlands jumped out on top early in Set 1, 6-2 aided by Hailey Reier and Hannah Hickman earth shattering smashes but the girls from College Station were having none of it as they bounced back to tie the score at seven on the strength of two slams each from Kassidy McCabe and Shelby Sumlin. The two teams could not create any distance from each other with the biggest lead being 20-16 College Station after Lydia Wagner set up Hailey Hines with a smash that painted the back line. The Lady Highlanders came back to tie things up at 21 when AJ Koele found good wood on an excuse me smash. Hines stayed hot with another smash but Grey Kennedy knotted it up at 22 with a no look, seeing eye dump that caught College Station napping.

College Station had match point at 24-23 on a Wagner service ace but gave one back on a short serve. Hickman's thunder slam gave the Lady Highlanders match point at 25-24 but a Hines dump found a line and it was back and forth and with the score tied at 38, a College Station net violation gave The Woodlands match point at 39-38.

Enter Hannah Hickman who appeared to have had just about enough as she one timed a smash in ill humor and The Woodlands and Coach Terry Wade had won their first set of the 2015 season.

Compared to the first set, the second and third sets seemed like ho-hum affairs as The Woodlands breezed to the straight set sweep.

First year Lady Highlander coach, Terri Wade who has won everywhere she has been at the helm and was optimistic about her team's play...
"That first set might have been the longest set I have ever been a part of,” Wade said. “I’ve never seen a game go to 40. But, it took a lot of courage to win that game. We may not have been consistent and we were a little unsure here and there, but we won....and to be able to play point for point and keep it going says a lot. We'll get better as we go."

Freshman, Courtney Heiser saw her first varsity action in the third set and she made good use of her P/T in registering her first kill to pull her team ahead 21-17. If that wasn't enough her second kill of her varsity career at match point won the game for the Lady Highlanders. Courtney was elated after the game...
"It was amazing to just get into the game because I really wasn't really expecting to play at all and I was so happy. We play very well together and they (upperclassmen) have been playing together for a while and you can tell. I was happy to contribute."

Hannah Hickman is becoming a great leader and she likes what she sees in the 2015 version of the Lady Highlanders...
"We're a pretty young team and we even have a freshman on the team which hasn't happened in a while on varsity. I'm comfortable with a leadership role and I want to see these younger girls experience what I've been able to experience in winning a state championship and I'll do all I can to try and help make that happen."

Grey Kennedy went off for four kills, 21 assists, 11 digs and a block while Bella Pinton had eight kills and five digs on the night. Sophie Walls added three kills, a dig and 12 assists. Mia Primavera had 15 digs and a couple assists. Courtney Heiser had two kills and two digs. Colby Quinn made her presence known leading her troops in the backcourt while collecting eight digs. Ally Haden saw action and contributed two kills. AJ Koele had four kills and three digs and Skylar Scott is ready to go when called upon.

For College Station, McCabe had 14 kills and 10 digs. Sumlin had 12 kills. Lydia Wagner had 21 assists and three aces.

This just in, The Terri Wade era has begun.

The Woodlands (1-0) next plays at the Cy Fair/Katy tournament, August 13-15.