No. 4 Wall Completes the Reverse Sweep, Beats Paradise to Claim Regional Final

BRECKENRIDGE, TX — The No. 4 Wall Lady Hawks mounted a furious comeback to reverse sweep the Paradise Lady Panthers in the regional final Monday night.

Down two sets to zero, Wall did not balk under pressure, winning three straight sets to claim victory: 21-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-13 and 15-13.

"I'm at a loss," Wall's head coach, Kimberly Branch, said after the match. "Our seniors have led this entire season. I pulled them aside in the second set and said, 'Hey guys, we've talked all year long about this. This is where we wanted to be; this is your season.' And they dug their heels in and went to work."

Wall seemed out of sorts early, allowing Paradise to build a small lead in the first set. However, the Lady Hawks weathered the early storm, fighting back through each break point lost. Peyton Dickson gave Wall its first lead of the contest on a service ace at 10-9. That lead was short-lived as the Lady Panthers proved that they deserved to be in the regional final.

Wall fell behind 22-17 and never really clicked offensively until it was too late. The Lady Hawks dropped the first set 25-21.

Wall continued to struggle in the second set. The ladies struggled to score and quickly fell behind. Down 24-17, Wall made a run, but ultimately fell in the second set 25-21.

The Lady Hawks fought back in the third set, taking a slight early advantage, but Paradise again overcame it. The Lady Panthers did not necessarily do anything special on offense, but played such solid defense that Wall committed several unforced errors.

Paradise went on an 8-1 run to take a commanding 11-5 lead midway through the third set. However, once again, the Lady Hawks fought back. Through tough-won points, the ladies battled back to tie the game at 17-17. Wall took the lead again a point later on a service ace from Hadley Kadlacek.

Wall could not be stopped and took the third set 25-20.

"We've scouted Paradise, and worked for this," Branch said of the third set. "I had faith in my girls. I've seen them do it before. I knew they were hungry and would find a way to make it happen."

It seemed like the Lady Hawks finally found their rhythm after winning the third set. Wall jumped out to a big lead early in the fourth set before Paradise tried to mount a comeback. Brynlee Graves would have none of that, powering Wall to 20 points first, 20-12.

Berkeley Jenschke also made her presence felt at the net. She came up with big-time blocks in key moments as Wall ran away with the fourth set, 25-14.

With all the momentum on Wall's side, the ladies jumped out to another early lead. However, Paradise battled back and even took the lead as the two teams crossed the 10-point mark. But the Lady Hawks would not be denied. Down 13-11, Wall would score the next four points to claim the set and the match, 15-13.

"We've worked hard all season," Branch concluded. "Weight room, conditioning, all those things. Playing last Saturday and then coming into tonight, we had little time to prepare for Paradise, but we knew this day was coming. These girls work hard, day in and day out. I just can't say enough about them. I love this team and I am so proud."

Next up, Wall travels to Wichita Falls to play for a ticket to the state final. The Lady Hawks will play the winner of Tatum and Scurry-Rosser on Saturday. The match is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. at Memorial High.