(Photo courtesy of Carter Shots)
The Pampa Lady Harvesters (18-16, 4-10) came to an end on Saturday when they fell to the Dumas Demonettes (20-25, 20-25, 23-25) at McNeely Fieldhouse here in
Pampa.
The Lady Harvesters had a roller-coaster of a season, seeing the team go on a seven-game win streak that led to a 3-0 District start, a Silver Bracket Championship at the Lu Allen Tournament, as well as the first win over Hereford Lady Whitefaces in more than 10 years. But it all saw continued struggles against Canyon, West Plains, Randall and Dumas. Head Coach Abbey Kashwer said she was proud of how the Lady Harvesters fought throughout the season.
“Since becoming the head coach at Pampa, I’ve wanted our program to have a standard that we will play with ball control, have consistent serve receive and play scrappy defense,” Kashwer said. “This group of girls accomplished those things this season. This is the best passing and defensive team I have coached since being at Pampa.”
Kashwer’s favorite memory came during the Lu Allen Tournament, when her squad won the Silver Bracket.
“My favorite moment from this season was watching the girls battle early in the season at the Lu Allen tournament,” Kashwer said. “They made it their goal to win the silver bracket, and they did it through their efforts and playing like a team.”
The Lady Harvesters will be graduating three seniors, Jolie Groomer, Karina Gonzalez and Hope Scribner.
Kashwer had this to say about each of her graduates:
Karina- Karina was a four-year varsity player, and this season I saw the most growth in her ability to be a good teammate. She would lead by example when it came to the standard we set for defense and serve receive. Aspects of her game will be missed next season.
Jolie- Jolie was a reliable teammate this year. She worked hard at practice and in the weight room. No matter what her role was this season, she was always involved in the game and great teammate.
Hope- Hope is one of the top students in her class and is involved in showing while playing volleyball this season. She gives her full effort to meet high standards, which is very impressive.
While losing those three seniors will hurt, that also means there will be a lot of experienced varsity players returning next year to reload.
“Having a solid amount of returning players always helps us to build on our strengths and weaknesses from this season,” Kashwer said. “We will also have more experience on the varsity level compared to this past season.”
Myself, as well as The Pampa News, would like to congratulate the Lady Harvesters on a great season and wish Jolie, Karina and Hope all the best as they look to the next phase of their lives.