Longview Rolls to Sweep of Whitehouse in Bi-District Volleyball Playoff

HAWKINS -- The Longview Lady Lobos are through to the second round of the volleyball playoffs, thanks to a dominating performance Tuesday night.

Longview rolled to a 25-12, 25-20, 25-15 sweep of Whitehouse in their Class 5A bi-district match, using a relentless attack and strong defense at the net.

The Lady Lobos (37-6), which finished second in 15-5A during the regular season, will meet Mansfield Summit either Friday or Saturday in the area round. Location details have yet to be determined.

Whitehouse, the third-place finisher in 16-5A, ended its season with a 20-20 overall record.

"I felt like we were a team tonight," said Longview coach Chaka Jackson. "We were a unit, we played together, and we played off of each other. I thought in Game 2 we had a spurt of errors, and battled back."

Longview's superiority on the court was never in question, despite suffering through a series of unforced errors in the second game.

Following an easy Game 1 win, Longview fell behind, 10-5, in the second set, which prompted Jackson to use a timeout.

"I reminded them that we started on Aug. 3 for this day," Jackson said. "'We've been working since Aug. 3 for now, so you have to want it. You can't get out there and give the ballgame away.'"

Longview eventually went on a 6-0 run to take a 20-18 lead. The spurt was highlighted by dominant play at the net from junior Nikki Bell, who reeled off three kills and a block during the critical stretch.

The Lady Lobos never trailed in the set after that, taking 2-0 lead in the match after closing out Game 2 with four consecutive points.

"Nikki Bell stepped up during the second round of district up until now," Jackson said. "She is peaking at the right time. She's young and she's new into the lineup, and she's clicking at the right time for us. She's playing her role, and she's doing her job. And that's crucial for us right now."

Adams led Longview for the match with nine kills, five blocks, and seven digs. Chantrel Hutchings added nine kills and three blocks, Carla Boyce had eight kills, while Bell finished with three kills and five blocks.

Kennedy Eynon had a team-high 16 assists to go with four digs, while Victoria Pierson and Miranda Welborn combined for 13 digs. Keira Eynon chipped in with three kills and six digs.

"I think Chantrel came back around big for us as well as Kaitlyn," Jackson said. "And then you mix Nikki in, and it gives us another option, too."

Whitehouse was led in defeat by Brittany Taylor's six kills. Beth Hood added five kills and four blocks, Sydney Malmstrom had four kills, and Molly Harris finished with a team-high 15 assists.