(Haili Newton (left) and Karsyn Brown celebrate an ace by Newton/Photo by John Lee)
The Pampa Lady Harvesters (3-5) went toe-to-toe with the Bushland Lady Falcons, a perennial powerhouse in the Texas Panhandle, in their home opener on Tuesday evening. Despite being swept (27-25, 18-25, 13-25) in the contest, Head Coach Kaylee Samulowitz was encouraged by the poise her team showed in the contest.
“I was really proud of the girls' play last night,” Samulowitz said. “They competed really well. We are still trying out different lineups and girls in different positions, so I think that third set was just a time of adjustment in that sense. I saw some really positive things in all three sets.”
Being able to compete against an opponent the caliber of Bushland, who has won five state titles since 2020, is a confidence booster for the Lady Harvesters.
“I think the girls definitely gained some confidence after seeing how they were able to compete last night,” Samulowitz said. “We went point-for-point with one of the best teams in the Panhandle, so I hope that they are starting to see what they are capable of.”
The Lady Harvesters can use this experience against Bushland to prepare for them for their District.
“Everyone knows our district is super tough, so scheduling talented teams is only preparing us for that,” Samulowitz said. “Hopefully we will get to face other tough teams in our next two tournaments to keep getting us ready for the caliber of play we will see in district in a few weeks.”
The Lady Harvesters continue tournament season this weekend when they travel to Lubbock to compete in the Lubbock-Cooper Tournament.
“We will see Lubbock Cooper, Palo Duro, Levelland, New Home, Childress and El Paso Chapin,” Samulowitz said. “I'm hoping we can continue to improve on our serve receive and aggressive play, while also starting to narrow down our starting lineup and seeing what each of our athletes are capable of.”
The Lady Harvesters next home game is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25 against San Jacinto.
Stat Roundup
Senior Haili Newton led the team in scoring with five kills, three aces and eight digs; Sophomore Addi Bagwell had three kills, nine digs, three assists and a block assist; Junior Brooklyn Warren had four kills, two digs and one block assist; Junior Kinley Duke had two kills; Senior Yaritza Saenz had a dig; Senior Naya Gallegos had seven digs; Junior Madi Barton had one kill five gis and 14 assists; Senior Olivia Owens had one kill, one ace and two digs; Junior Myla Zarate had 10 digs; Junior Karsyn Brown had one kill, two aces, two block assists and one dig.