Faith Academy volleyball wins at Waco Live Oak
CAPTION: Faith Academy junior Kerrington Silvers led the Lady Flames in kills with 17 thanks to using her mind as well as her physical skills. Photo by Stennis Shotts
The Faith Academy of Marble Falls volleyball team beat Waco Live Oak Classical 25-22, 27-25, 25-10 Sept. 18 in a big road win in District 4-3A of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools.
Lady Flames head coach Erin Sawyer put the victory in perspective.
“In the four years I’ve been doing volleyball for Faith Academy, this is the first time we beat Live Oak in their gym,” she said. “I was very proud of the girls. They played hard.”
She noted the first game went “back and forth, back and forth” where “we pushed a little bit.”
“In the second game, we didn’t start very strong,” the coach added. “Once we got a little cushion (I thought) it would be easier. Unfortunately we had errors.”
But after taking the second set, the Lady Flames may have taken more from the Lady Falcons as they began play in what turned out to be the final set.
“I’m super proud of the girls for beating them, especially since we hadn’t had success in their gym,” Sawyer said. “We made a few adjustments. It took us a minute to adjust.”
The Lady Flames were led by junior Kerrington Silvers, who had 17 kills, six digs and three receptions on serve receive followed by sophomore Ella Claiborne with 14 kills, two aces, seven digs and 11 receptions on serve receive.
“(Silvers’) court IQ has gotten so much better,” the coach said. “She can see holes and exploit them when they are not covered. She uses that to her advantage. She got her kills by being smart and seeing the court and asking, ‘What do you see?'”
She also was pleased with the efforts of junior Avalynn Eppler and sophomore Elizabeth Neely, who moved up from the junior varsity.
Neely is used more as a front row player, while Eppler is a “serving specialist.”
Sawyer noted they are doing all they can to help the Lady Flames succeed.
Senior middle blocker Natalie Weems, who had eight blocks, is the TAPPS Class 3A leader in that category with 56 total so far this season.
“I’m so proud of her,” Sawyer said. “It definitely shuts other teams down. She’s an integral part of our offense and defense. She’s definitely come out and shown that. I’m definitely proud of her blocking and hard work.”
Faith welcomes Austin Royals in non-district play Tuesday, Sept. 23, with two subvarsity matches playing. The first begins at 4 p.m. The varsity plays at 7 p.m.
CAPTION: Faith Academy sophomore Ella Claiborne played another consistent match during the win at Waco Live Oak Classical thanks to recording 14 kills, three aces, seven digs and 11 receptions on serve-receive. Photo by Stennis Shotts
