SHEPHERD — The Shepherd gym was packed Tuesday night as the Lady Pirates welcomed the Livingston Lady Lions for a district matchup that proved just how much this Shepherd team has grown.
Although Livingston took all three sets, the Lady Pirates never made it easy. Shepherd stayed within striking distance throughout the match, battling point-for-point and refusing to let the Lions pull away without a fight.
The final scores reflected just how competitive the night was: 25-19, 25-22 and 25-18.
Offensively, Brooklyn White led Shepherd with 10 kills, while Aliyah Thomas added six. The Lady Pirates also put together a strong defensive effort, with White, Swayzie Nelson, Abbey Anderson and Brianna McCain combining for 36 digs. At the net, Whitney Millage and Briley White recorded two blocks each, while Thomas and Brooklyn White added a block apiece.
The Lady Pirates have come a long way, and Tuesday's match was another example of a young team continuing to learn, compete and grow together. Each close set provides another opportunity to learn how to finish, and each hard-fought point adds to the experience needed when the stakes become even higher.
On Friday, the Lady Pirates fell to Hardin-Jefferson 3-0 (18-25, 12-25, 21-25). The loss put Shepherd’s district record at 0-4 (7-19 overall).
The Lady Trojans posted a pair of losses on the volleyball court last week, 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 19-25, 17-25) to Onalaska on Sept. 22, and 3-0 (10-25, 14-25, 16-25) on Thursday.
Stats were not immediately available.
