Livingston volleyball picked up their biggest win of the season Friday at home, toppling Huffman Hargrave 25-15, 25-20, and 25-17.
The emphatic sweep over the state's No. 14 team is the first time Livingston has ever defeated Hargrave.
"They are the No. 1 team in our district," Livingston coach Casey Veen said. "The girls came in with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. We knew it was going to be difficult, and they are historically a great team. We knew what we had to do, we had a game plan, and our objective was do not deviate from the game plan. I'm so proud of the girls really putting forth the effort this week to do what was needed tonight."
The Lions kept a solid lead throughout most of the first set, setting the tone for the rest of the evening.
A 10-10 tie in the second saw the home team go on a run, leading by as much as seven in the set.
It was more the same in the final frame, as Livingston doubled up Huffman 14-7, increasing the lead slightly from there.
"In preseason we started out really well," junior outside hitter Taylor Wright said. "We worked as a team, and we knew we had a new coach with stuff to prove.
"I think we got a little too comfortable with our record and how great we had been playing coming into district. We lost ourselves a little bit, but I think when we came back with these last two practices, that talk that we had really did something. She gave us a specific game plan, and I think that helped a lot tonight. We executed everything well.
"Winning against Huffman was one of our biggest goals since last year. We want to go to the playoffs. Beating Huffman is really a milestone for us right now and we are so excited that we did."
The pressure to win will remain, as Livingston travels to Hamshire-Fannett on Tuesday. The next home game is a week after that versus a state-ranked Liberty squad.
Three of the district's schools are included in the latest polls, and the coach said a good team from 19-4A is going to miss the postseason. The win Friday is another step to ensure Livingston isn't the one left at home.
"To me, it is who is on that night," Veen said of district competition. "Any given night, anyone can get beat. I feel like there are battles that are happening in the district. It is just a dog fight every night in our district. I am new, and I wasn't expecting that, so it is actually kind of nice to have to gear up every single game. There are no games off. The four that are moving on (in the playoffs) are going to be battle tested."
