Volleyball: Lady Loboes fall just short of 3A title

SAN MARCOS Bailey Marcum and three teammates made their way out of the weight room-turned-press conference and headed for their locker room on Saturday.

Slowly they trudged up two flights of stairs, the pain of the Monahans volleyball team’s five-game Class 3A state championship loss to Wimberley etched on their tear-stained faces.

The walk proved to be the perfect microcosm on this day. The Lady Loboes, in recent years, have made a huge climb in reclaiming their place among the state’s elite.

Before 3,650 spectators at Strahan Coliseum, they came up a few steps short from the desired destination.

Wimberley rallied from a 7-3 deficit in the decisive fifth game, clipping Monahans 26-28, 25-20, 16-25, 25-17, 15-10 in the Class 3A state championship match.

It was the Texans’ sixth state championship, including their second in a row.

“It’s tough, but I’m proud of our team,” said Marcum, who had 26 kills, 16 digs and two aces in her final high school match. “Everyone did an awesome job on our team.

“Of course, you want to win first (place), but everything happens for a reason.”

The Lady Loboes might have to search long and hard for the reasoning behind how a 10th state championship slipped from their grasp.

Monahans (36-11) appeared poised to secure its second title in four years, grabbing a 7-3 lead in Game 5 after a kill from Marcum.

But Wimberley roared back, capitalizing on Monahans defensive breakdowns, scoring seven straight points for a 10-7 advantage.

The Lady Loboes battled back to get within 11-10 on a kill from Jordan Latham, who had 18 kills, 11 digs and two aces. But a service error — the second in as many service opportunities — put Wimberley (38-7) ahead for good at 12-10.

The Texans closed out the match, getting two kills from championship-match MVP Katie Milam and a Monahans hitting error to win.

“I really believed that we could come back,” Marcum said after Monahans lost for the first time in 14 matches in which it won the first game. “I just knew that our team was going to pull through.

“(The Texans) were a really good team, and once you let a team like that get on a roll, it’s hard to stop.”

Wimberley (38-7), which also defeated Monahans in the 2003 state final, forced a decisive Game 5 by taking advantage of the Lady Loboes’ passing woes.

In winning the first and third games, Monahans used its height advantage to continuously hit over the smaller Wimberley front line.

“We didn’t pass the ball as effectively as I wanted to, so we can keep our hitters in offense,” Monahans coach Patty Dominguez said. “I felt like that was the big key right there.

“Passing’s the name of the game. If you can’t pass the ball, you’re not going to be able to pound it.”

UIL State Championships

At Texas State University, San Marcos

Thursday’s Scores

CLASS 2A

Semifinals

Poth def. Centerville 31-29, 25-15, 25-15

Bushland def. Big Sandy Harmony 20-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-16

CLASS 4A

Semifinals

Waco Midway def. Randall 25-20, 28-26, 21-25, 25-16

Friendswood def. New Braunfels Canyon 24-26, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17

———

Friday’s Scores

CLASS 1A

Semifinals

Windthorst def. Flatonia 21-25, 25-19, 25-13, 21-25, 17-15.

Iola def. Kopperl 25-18, 13-25, 18-25, 25-14, 15-8.

CLASS 3A

Semifinals

Monahans def. White Oak 25-21, 25-21, 23-25, 25-20.

Wimberley def. Columbus 25-21, 25-20, 27-25.

CLASS 5A

Semifinals

Austin Westlake def. Plano West 23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-20.

Amarillo High def. Houston Cypress-Fairbanks 28-26, 25-16, 25-15.

———

Saturday’s Scores

CLASS 1A

Final

Windthorst def. Iola 25-13, 25-22, 25-11. Windthorst (38-2) wins Class 1A state title; Iola (36-4) is runner-up.

CLASS 2A

Final

Bushland def. Poth 28-26, 25-15, 25-22. Bushland (31-7) wins Class 2A state title; Poth (37-9) is runner-up.

CLASS 3A

Final

Monahans def. Wimberley 26-28, 25-20, 16-25, 25-17, 15-10. Wimberley (38-7) wins Class 3A state title; Monahans (36-11) is runner-up.

CLASS 4A

Final

Waco Midway def. Friendswood 25-21, 25-22, 25-21. Midway (47-1) wins Class 4A state title; Friendswood (38-7) is runner-up.

CLASS 5A

Final

Amarillo High def. Austin Westlake 25-19, 25-17, 25-19. Amarillo High (46-1) wins Class 5A state title; Austin Westlake (42-2) is runner-up.