MAVS CELEBRATE SENIOR NIGHT IN STYLE

Southside volleyball coach Steve Haaser’s still on the fence as to whether or not this is his last season to coach the school’s volleyball team. But if it is, Thursday’s home finale with Rogers will have a nice feel to it. Sophomore Avery Fitzgerald had 18 kills as Southside pelted Rogers on senior night, 25-6, 25-16, 25-17, at Southside Gym. The Mavericks (29-3) will next play in Wednesday’s 1 p.m. 7A quarterfinals match. “Avery, she’s got a knack for putting the ball down,” Haaser said. “Even the times when she doesn’t smash it, her placement is good. She has a knack for putting the ball down.” The Mavericks, who finished a 14-0 run in the 7A-Central with Tuesday’s sweep of Northside, came out strong in the opener before Rogers settled in with more competitive games in the second and third sets. Fitzgerald had four kills in the opening set, and after back-to-back aces from sophomore Aleigha Johnson, senior Reagan Scifres finished off the win with a kill. In the second game, after Rogers had bolted to a quick 3-0 lead, the Mavericks found their stroke, with the sophomore triplets — Johnson, Hannah Hogue and Fitzgerald providing three straight points that swung the match, and momentum, from a 5-5 tie to a 12-6 advantage. After the Mounties closed to within 16-14, Zoe Rogers’ kill, Johnson’s block and back-to-back smashes by Fitzgerald extended the Mavericks’ lead to 20-16. Rogers, again in the third set, jumped out early, holding leads of 7-4 and battling back for a 15-13 advantage. But back-to-back by Hogue gave Southside the lead, which ended the match by outscoring Rogers 10-1. Hogue finished with five aces and 15 assists. Johnson went for seven kills, three blocks and two aces. Seniors Hannah Holland (six kills), Emily Bass (18 digs), Sarah Tolbert (12 assists) and Montana Smith (eight digs) also contributed to the Mavericks’ win. As for Haaser’s future? He, of 1,015 career victories, was happy the team was able to fill its schedule before the state tournament. “This was a good match for us,” Haaser said. “We’ve played Rogers the last (regular) season game of the year the last three years. I would hate to go to the state tournament having not played in a week.”

MAVS CELEBRATE SENIOR NIGHT IN STYLE

KEVIN TAYLOR

Times Record | 10/19/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Shaffer