Kilgore volleyball bows out, season ends

Oct. 23—Last week, the Kilgore High School volleyball team was presented a challenge: win the last three games to even have hope of getting into the UIL Class 4A playoffs

They almost did so — but to complete the feat, they needed to beat Henderson on Friday.

They came close, but Henderson won in four, 16-25, 18-25, 25-21, 13-25, and so Kilgore will miss the postseason for the first time since 2015.

Maleah Thurmond had 12 kills and seven digs. Brooke Couch had eight kills, and three digs. Senior Ashton Vallery, in what would be her final game, had 20 assists, 16 digs and two aces.

Also for Kilgore, BB Brooks had six kills, a block and a dig. Summer Hayden-Epps had four kills and a dig. Jazmine Vasquez had 16 digs. Fyndi Henry had a kill, 21 digs and an ace. Catherine Dennis had three kills, four assists, 10 digs and five aces. Alana Mumphrey had eight assists. Nawny Sifford had seven digs, and Maddison Harris had three, and two assists.

Kilgore did win two of the three, beating Chapel Hill last weekend and then upsetting Lindale on Tuesday, here in Kilgore.

The Lady Bulldogs beat Lindale in four sets, 25-17, 22-25, 28-26, 25-23.

Against Lindale, however, it was a Kilgore night.

After honoring their only senior this year, Vallery, with recognition and gifts before the game, Kilgore went to work, winning set one in fairly easy fashion, although Lindale did pull closer late in the set.

Lindale punched back and won set two, but then Kilgore won a hard-fought third set, 28-26, and finished the night with a victory in set four.

Kilgore got nine kills each from Brooks and from Thurmond — Brooks added three blocks and two digs, and Thurmond had two blocks and a dig of her own.

Hayden-Epps had eight kills and six digs, and Couch had seven kills, 10 digs and two aces. Vallery had a good night, if it was her final home game, and it is the final scheduled one. She had 17 assists and nine digs, to go with a kill.

Also for Kilgore, Dennis had three kills and five digs; Vasquez had 18 digs; Isabell Witt and Henry each had 13; Sifford had 10; Harris had eight digs; and Mumphrey had two kills, 14 assists and two digs.