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DISTRICT 12-5A VOLLEYBALL: Mesquite falls short in upset bid of Tyler Lee
By DEVIN HASSON, dhasson@starlocalnews.com
The 12-5A volleyball race has a clear distinction between the three teams at the top and the rest of the field.
Since early in the season, it was clear that Rockwall-Heath, Tyler Lee and Rockwall were a notch above the remaining four teams and that has played out in the standings, where that trio has long since clinched playoff spots.
But that one remaining postseason berth is still up for grabs with four teams still in contention, so a victory from that group over one of those top teams would not only be a nice feather in the cap, but it might also be the difference between making the playoffs or having the season end on Tuesday.
The Skeeters fell to 2-8 in 12-5A with two matches left in the regular season, which puts them one game behind Horn (3-7) which fell to Rockwall-Heath on Tuesday, for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Each game followed a similar, painful script for Mesquite, which found themselves within a point late in all three only to watch Tyler Lee pull away at the end.
The tone was set from the opening game. Viershanie Latham and Neka Nelson, who had 12 kills each, and Chamberlain Robinson, who had eight kills, each scored earl points for Mesquite, but Tyler Lee made a mid-game surge to take a 12-7 lead.
The Skeeters hung around, though, and a kill from Nelson got them back to within 21-20. But the Red Raiders showed why they have nearly 30 victories on the season, as Alexis Crowder had a pair of late kills, including one on game point to close out the 25-21 win.
Mesquite outplayed Tyler Lee in the early stages of game two, but hurt its own cause with service errors. The Skeeters surged to a 12-9 lead behind an ace from Gayle Lockett and a point from Nelson, but the Red Raiders had a rally of their own that pushed them to a 17-13 lead.
Mesquite got points from Latham, Robinson, Peyton Belt and Nelson to rally back to tie the game at 20-20, but Tyler Lee once again had an answer, as Mallory Kuechle had a pair of late kills to allow them to pull away for a 25-21 win.
The Skeeters looked as if they had run out of gas early in the third as it fell into a 10-4 hole, but Jutus Spriggs provided a spark with a pair of points, Belt served an ace and Mesquite quickly moved back to within 11-10.
The teams continued to go back and forth, with kills from Latham and Robinson keeping it close at 19-18. But the end of the game once again belonged to Tyler Lee, as despite a couple of late kills by Nelson, they were able to close out the sweep.
Tyler Lee already knows it will join Rockwall-Heath and Rockwall in the playoffs. The Red Raiders will have a good chance to secure second place with a victory over the Yellow Jackets on Friday.
The fourth playoff berth is much more complicated. Horn has a one-game lead on Mesquite pending North Mesquite's result against Longview on Tuesday.
A Stallion win would move them within a half-game of the Jaguars, while a Lobo victory would vault them back into the picture.
Regardless, there will be two huge matches on Friday when North Mesquite hosts Mesquite and Longview plays at Horn.
The regular season will wrap up on Tuesday with Horn playing host to Tyler Lee, Mesquite going on the road to face Longview with North Mesquite sitting it out with a bye.
Horn had put itself in the driver's seat temporarily with a huge 25-20, 25-14, 25-9 victory over Mesquite on Friday, while North Mesquite fell to Rockwall.
STANDINGS
xy-Rockwall-Heath 11-0 30-7
x-Tyler Lee 8-2 29-10
x-Rockwall 8-2 16-9
Horn 3-7 16-24
Mesquite 2-8 8-22
North Mesquite 2-8 8-23
Longview 1-8 8-13
x-clinched playoff berth
y-clinched district title
Tuesday's Results
Tyler Lee def. Mesquite 25-21, 25-21, 25-22
Rockwall-Heath def. Horn 25-6, 25-18, 25-14
Rockwall, bye
Friday's Results
Horn def. Mesquite 25-20, 25-14, 25-9
Rockwall def. North Mesquite 25-11, 25-21, 25-16
Rockwall-Heath def. Longview 25-13, 25-9, 25-14
Tyler Lee, bye
Friday's Games
Mesquite at North Mesquite
Longview at Horn
Tyler Lee at Rockwall
Rockwall-Heath, bye
Tuesday's Games
Tyler Lee at Horn
Mesquite at Longview
Rockwall vs. Rockwall-Heath
North Mesquite, bye
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