Lady Cats Volleyball Coach Bailey Dorner put things in perspective at practice Wednesday, after the Lady Cats stunning upset of Hallsville on Tuesday, 3-0.
She told them it was great Tuesday to get the win but added it doesn’t matter anymore. Coach Dorner said they now have to focus on Forney, Thursday night’s opponent in an Area match at Canton beginning at 7 p.m.
She said changes made recently helped the Lady Cats Tuesday against Hallsville. Concerning the Lady Cats improved court coverage Tuesday, Coach Dorner said the Lady Cats were in the game from the beginning and were excited by the playoff atmosphere. She added they were focused so they were not caught off guard.
Coach Dorner said she likes being the underdog. She said no one expects mush from a four seed. She said the Lady Cats were fourth in a tough district that got them prepared for the playoffs.
Concerning the Forney game, Coach Dorner said if the Lady Cats play their best, they will do great. The two teams played back on Aug. 20, in Forney and the Lady Rabbits won. Coach Dorner said she reflected on her team and the positions she had some of her girls in and concluded the Lady Cats are a completely different team now. She said the Lady Cats did not pass the ball well in August. Tuesday they did.
When the Lady Cats Volleyball Team plays Forney in an Area match Thursday at 7 p.m. at Canton, the Lady Cats will match the best a Lady Cats team has done in the playoffs in recent times.
After quite a playoff drought going back to 2006, the Lady Cats made the playoffs in 2015 under then Coach Allison Irvin. That team also won their bi-district match against Corsicana. That team’s 2015 Area appearance is being matched by the 2019 Lady Cats tonight. The 2015 team lost their Area match to Mansfield Legacy.
Former Coach Justin Maness also had playoff teams in 2016 and 2017. Both of those teams lost bi-district matches, to Forney in 2016 and Wylie East in 2017. The Lady Cats did not make the playoffs last year.Lady Cats Coach Bailey Dorner has them back this year and in Area competition.
Including Forney’s 2016 bi-district win over the Lady Cats, Forney has won four of the last five games the two teams have played. The Lady Cats defeated the Lady Rabbits in Sulphur Springs last year. Coming into play Thursday, Forney is 29-9 for the season and they were the runner up team in their district. The Lady Cats season record is 24-17.
KSST Radio will bring you the Lady Cats and Forney match live from Canton at 7 p.m. featuring live streaming audio.
The game will be videotaped for replay at a later date on Channel 18 on Suddenlink Cable. The game will also be posted to YouTube after the game.
There will be no live video stream because the Canton Gym does not have equipment needed for KSST to do that.
