Chargers struggle with Seguin but still win

The No. 11 state-ranked Boerne Champion volleyball team had a key district match with No. 6 state-ranked New Braunfels Canyon on Friday, but before the Lady Chargers could focus on the Cougarettes, they had to get past Seguin Tuesday in Boerne.

Seguin put up quite a battle against Champion on Tuesday but the Lady Chargers prevailed in four tough sets.

Champion won 25-17, 21-25, 25-20, 25-21 and improves to 24-5 overall and 2-0 in district. The Chargers visited NB Canyon Friday and Champion coach Jessica Tully-Mitchell said her team may have been looking past the Matadors and ahead to the Cougarettes and called it a “learning lesson.”

So what was that lesson?

“Don’t underestimate,” Tully-Mitchell answered bluntly. “I think we may have been looking more towards Friday. I’m a little guilty of it and I think the girls were too and Seguin showed they can play with us.”

The Matadors did do that and kept it close in Game 1 but the Chargers prevailed 25-17.

In Game 2, Champion was up 18-12 but the Matadors went on an 6-0 run and tied it at 18-18. It was tied at 20-20 before the Matadors closed out the set with a 5-1 spurt to tie it up at 1-1.

In the third game, the Chargers were up 16-11 but Seguin again fought back and outscored Champion 4-0 to pull within a point at 16-15 but the Chargers steadied the ship and closed it out by outscoring Seguin, 9-5, to pull ahead in the match 2-1.

Champion closed it out in four sets but even the fourth game was hard for the Chargers because Seguin was leading 19-16 before Champion tied it at 19-19. It was knotted up at 20-20 and the Chargers were up 22-21 and won it 25-21.

Tully-Mitchell said another lesson learned is that sometimes a team wins in different ways. 

“We were tipping and Kelsey Rogers had some amazing blocks that helped us win,” the coach said. “We don’t have to crush the ball every single time. We learned a lesson so it’ll make us stronger - hopefully.”

Emma Wegleitner had a big match with 27 kills, 14 digs and 2 aces, Ella Coleman tallied 8 kills, Izzy Maszak recorded 25 assists and 12 digs, Sadie Hoyt had 9 digs, Raylynn Pitts finished with 5 kills, Erin Fallon chipped in with 19 assists, 3 aces and 3 digs and Gabriela Rossello added 10 digs.