Lady Tigers Split First Two

The Lady Tigers split the first two games of the season in a dual match held in Mabank on Tuesday.

The team fell behind two games to zero in the match against Mabank before coming back to win. Then had little left for the Lady Hornets of Athens.

After losing two in a row by counts of 25-13, head coach Traci Pierce provided a little motivation for her team.

"I had to get on them a little after the first two games," Pierce said. "We changed the lineup and played really well after that."

The Lady Tigers won the next three, 25-23, 25-20 and 16-14.

"Mabank always has a good team, and we played really well in those last three," the coach said. "But we didn’t have much left for Athens."

The Lady Tigers had a ten-minute break before the next match, while the Lady Hornets were waiting for them.

Wills Point won the first game, 25-12, but dropped the next three, 25-15, 25-21 and 25-20.

"We played for four hours straight," Pierce said. "By the end of the Athens match, the girls were pretty spent.

"We’re in the process of learning a new offense, and it’s going to take some time to settle in to it," the coach added.

The new offense is designed to give the team more options, and at times will leave them with two hitters at the net.

"Our goal is to be settled in to it by district," Pierce said. "That gives us a little over a month."

The Lady Tigers are in Grapeland for a tournament this weekend. Wills Point is the defending tournament champion, and the coach said she would like to defend the title. The first home game will be against Terrell on August 18.