Magnolia downs Lady Cats in volleyball opener

El Dorado's Diana Obiozo calls for the ball as teammates, including Dakoda Jones (13) provide support. The Lady Wildcats fell to Magnolia 3-1 in the volleyball opener Monday at Wildcat Arena.
El Dorado's Diana Obiozo calls for the ball as teammates, including Dakoda Jones (13) provide support. The Lady Wildcats fell to Magnolia 3-1 in the volleyball opener Monday at Wildcat Arena.

El Dorado opened its volleyball season with a 3-1 loss to Magnolia Monday at Wildcat Arena. After dropping the second game, the Lady Panthers pulled away to a 25-14, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18 non-conference victory.

“Of course we would want to come out with a win tonight but I saw a lot of great things to build on so it just makes me more excited for the season,” said El Dorado first-year coach Amber Reynolds. “I also appreciate all the fans and the community showing up for the girls.”

It was the season opener for both squads.

After losing the first game, the Lady Wildcats rallied from a 17-12 deficit in Game 2.

Laila Reynolds went down the line for a kill to side-out. On the serve of Davin James, El Dorado scored four more points with Reynolds adding a kill. The Lady Wildcats tied the game after a long rally, keyed by a sprawling dig by Koda Jones.

The Lady Panthers led 21-20 until a kill by London Ingram sparked four unanswered points. Layla Webb had a service winner as El Dorado built a 24-21 cushion.

Magnolia pulled to within 24-23 but Ingram’s dig kept a rally alive for James, whose kill at the net ended the game for the Lady Cats.

James had two blocks and two kills in Game 2 with Ingram recording two aces and a kill. Reynolds and Mallory Whitten had two kills each.

The Lady Panthers responded from the loss with a pair of dominating victories. Magnolia jumped out to a 10-2 lead in Game 3 behind the serve of 4-foot-11 Amber Yates, who scored eight consecutive points, including four aces. The Lady Panthers built a 24-10 cushion.

In Game 4, Magnolia led 7-1 and 15-7. Whitten had three kills and Webb hit an ace as El Dorado pulled to within 16-13.

The margin was 18-15 before the Lady Wildcats committed an unforced error. Magnolia then hit an ace that dribbled over off the net. Yates would eventually serve out the match.

Magnolia coach Michael Youngblood was pleased with the way his squad rebounded from the Game 2 loss.

“We just challenged them to play the best they can. I think they responded real well,” he said. “We played a good team tonight. They did real good on their objectives.”

Magnolia’s serving played a factor as the Lady Panthers were credited with 15 aces in the match.

“We focus on that throughout practice every day,” said Youngblood. “We’re more of a defensive team so we have to serve as well as we can every single time.”

Coach Reynolds was asked if her team had a letdown after the come-from-behind win in Game 2.

“I think they definitely were really excited,” she said. “You want them to win but we definitely have to make sure we stay focused and finish out the entire game.”

As for her team’s serve and serve return?

“I think it was just first-game jitters. Hopefully we’ll get that out of our system,” she answered. “But, serving-wise, yes that definitely is something that, next game, we’re looking to improve on. Missing a serve, that’s easy points there. And, serve receive-wise, it’s just a matter of taking that extra step instead of settling for reaching outside of the body, which are easy fixes. It’s just about becoming more confident.”

No official statistics were available but, unofficially, Whitten and Laila Reynolds had five kills apiece while James recorded three kills and three blocks.

“I think Mallory did really well of keeping our composure throughout the game, talking to the team as far as getting them back on track when it needed to happen,” said Coach Reynolds. “Laila Reynolds had a couple big hits that changed the momentum. Davin James was a presence on the net tonight. She either was blocking it or was causing the hitters to have to change direction, which is things you want to see.”

El Dorado dropped the JV match 2-0.

“(JV) definitely had first game jitters,” said the coach. “But, on that second game, they started to turn on and look like the team I know they are. They definitely made some adjustments throughout the game. I thought we showed a lot of promise as far as doing some critical things correctly.”

The Lady Wildcats host Little Rock Hall on Tuesday, beginning with JV at 5 p.m.

Upcoming Events