BEEVILLE – The West Oso Lady Bears were in town on Tuesday night to meet the Lady Trojan volleyball teams. The varsity match-up went all five sets before a winner could be decided.

The visitors captured a hard-fought 3-2 win over the Lady Trojans, but there was a bright side for the Beeville girls.

“Although we came up just short of a ‘W,’ the girls’ play was outstanding. I continue to see growth and progress in the girls, and that’s always a plus,” said head coach LaMech Thomas.

Set one was close the whole way. The Lady Trojans grabbed a 5-3 lead, but three straight points by the Bears evened things at 6-6. The scoring went back and forth before the Lady Bears went in front for good at 11-10. The Lady Trojans stayed close but could not overtake the visitors down the stretch. The final score in set one was a 25-21 victory for the Lady Bears.

Set two was even closer. From a tied set at 14-14, neither team gained more than a three-point advantage the rest of the way. Most often, the scoreboard had the two teams tied or within a point of each other.

The Lady Trojans broke on top with a block by Brennan Holder to give the Beeville girls a 16-15 lead, and the Lady Trojans never trailed the rest of the set. LaMetra Thomas, Holder and Victoria Elizalde led the team in set two, along with the team defense. Very few balls hit the court; everything was returned.

The Lady Bears forced some ties, the latest at 23-23. The final two points went to the home team and a 25-23 win and knotting the match.

The visiting Lady Bears got the upper hand in set three with their big hits. Both sides played good defense, but the hard hitting Lady Bears rallied late for a relatively easy 25-13 victory.

The momentum did not stay with the visitors. The Lady Trojans came out and played their best set of the match in set four. Beeville took an early 5-4 lead on a Holder kill and never looked back. Thomas, Holder, Elizalde, with some help from Krystal Cuellar and Cierra Garcia, put the Lady Trojans up big at 19-9. They cruised the rest of the way for a 25-16 victory that forced a fifth and deciding set.

The final set is a race to 15 points. The biggest lead either team could muster was just three points in the final showdown. It came down to the final three points as the Lady Bears and Lady Trojans were tied at 12-12.

The visitors capitalized and hit for three straight points to capture the match, taking the final set at 15-12.

Holder led the Lady Trojans with 20 kills. Thomas followed closely with 14. Elizalde had 37 assists over the five sets. Thomas also played some stellar defense, coming up with a team-high 31 digs. Holder followed with 28 digs, and Cuellar ended the night with 22 digs.

“I felt the two teams were pretty evenly matched, and we knew what we were up against. Immediately following the game, West Oso’s coach Fillmore walked over, praising the Lady Trojan volleyball program and the excellent job that the girls are doing,” said coach Thomas.

“She is one of many who has noticed the impact the girls are having on this program. As a coach, it is always an honor to receive ‘praise reports’ from your peers and colleagues. For that, I am grateful.”

The Lady Trojan varsity played the Skidmore-Tynan Lady Cats on Friday at 5 p.m. in Skidmore. The sub-varsity teams made a trip to San Antonio to play St. Hall Academy. Those matches were slated to begin at 4 and 5 p.m. Next Tuesday night, the Lady Trojans will be in Mathis to tangle with the Lady Pirates. The freshman girls will begin the action at 5 p.m.

Bruce Harper is the sports editor at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 123, or at sports@mySouTex.com.