“I’m so proud of the way we handled ourselves tonight.… We stayed composed under pressure, executed our game plan and showed real fight from start to finish.”  Mineola head volleyball coach TaShara Stephens summed up the best volleyball the Lady Jackets have played yet this season.

Her charges swept the state-ranked Malakoff Lady Tigers (35-33, 25-17, 25-15) Friday in Mineola. The win propelled the Lady Jackets to second place in District 15-3A.

For the Mineola squad, this match will likely be one that the players will long remember. The Lady Jackets fought off six set-points in the first set to take the win. 

Each point in the late stages of the first set was competed for wholeheartedly. There were no lapses in effort or execution. The end game of set one was exactly what scholastic volleyball is supposed to be.

Mahayla McMahon owned the end game in set number one. She tied the game at 25 all with a crushing spike and went on to score five more times before securing the set. She was assisted by Adelyn Steward who registered a critical block and teamed up with Milo Reed for another scoring block.

Early in the set, the offensive power was provided by Canyon Redding, who relentlessly attacked from the wings. She received scoring assistance from Journie Wilson with a timely scoring block as well as kills from Reed and Steward.     

Defensively, Mineola’s positioning was spot-on. It had to be, in the face of very capable Malakoff strikers. 

The Lady Jackets played disciplined volleyball with energy and anticipation. They remained a split-second ahead of the Lady Tigers throughout the match, attacking and not reacting. 

Team precision was also of note. The Lady Jackets issued only four service errors in the whole match, and only one point due to a miscommunication between teammates.

As Malakoff endeavored to counter the striking of Redding and McMahon, other Lady Jackets stepped forward. Kaitlyn McMahon – who shone brightly as libero – issued consecutive aces in the second set, while Mineola varied its attack with a series of drop and push shots intermingled between attacks from the wings. 

Four timely drop shots by Callie Black and three consecutive blocks – two from Steward and one from Redding – crushed the Malakoff resistance.

The team was both tenacious and clinical. They will talk about this match years from now when they bump into one another in town. 

After visiting Quitman, the Lady Jackets will next be at home on Friday, Oct. 10 as they host Edgewood. Varsity commences play at 4:30 p.m.