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Townsend proves versatility




Taking the court for her first varsity match, Bridgeport junior Ava Townsend proved to be one of the Sissies’ most versatile players.

She led Bridgeport with 10 digs and six kills in the season-opening loss to Azle Tuesday.

“Ava stepped up in the positions we needed her to,” said Bridgeport coach Erin Johnson. “She is a natural leader, and is willing to step up in any role.”

Bridgeport (0-1) started its tournament schedule at Burkburnett Thursday. The tournament will continue Friday and Saturday.

“The girls have done a good job of buying in and trusting one another,” Johnson said. “I am expecting them to continue to grow together.”

Boyd splits dual

Boyd coach Clark Oberle got a chance Tuesday to see the talent in the program he inherited.

The Lady Jackets split their home dual, beating Sanger and falling to Glen Rose.

“We had several players step up,” Oberle said. “Emma Rosier did an outstanding job defensively, and ran the offense as our setter. Ava Badillo was great on both sides of the ball. Austin Etter, Laci Ellis and Madisyn Hicks all had clutch kills in the five-set win against Sanger.”

Boyd (1-1) will play at the Burkburnett tournament. The Lady Jackets begin their matches Friday.

“I’d love to see us be more aggressive and creative offensively, while becoming more confident and comfortable with our defensive responsibilities,” Oberle said.

Christensen shines in opener

Entering her first varsity match, Paradise sophomore MacKenzie Christensen was unfazed by the tense atmosphere.

The Lady Panthers’ defensive specialist tallied four aces, four digs, two kills and two assists in the team’s home-opening matches against Windthorst and Chico.

“MacKenzie played with a lot of maturity,” said Paradise coach John Hogan. “She’s a great defensive passer, and has good court awareness. Her aggressive serves kept our opponents out of their system.”

Paradise (1-1) opens the Abilene ISD Bev Ball tournament Friday at Abilene High School.

“We need to play through being tired and try to stay mentally tough when our bodies are weary, which will help us against opponents if matches go four or five sets,” Hogan said.

Gose makes debut

Alvord freshman Addi Gose made her varsity debut for the Lady Bulldogs Tuesday.

She racked up four digs and three kills in a loss against Bowie.

“Addi’s been given a huge assignment as a freshman,” Alvord coach Brandy Mayfield said. “I threw her in to run our offense at setter, and also had her hitting on the right side. Although we struggled, she kept her composure and did a great job of making adjustments.”

Alvord (0-1) opens pool play at the O’Connell Prep tournament Friday. Bracket play is scheduled for Saturday.

“We have to focus on passing the ball in our serve receive so we can run our offense,” Mayfield said. “My goal is to see us become more comfortable playing together this weekend.”

Hernandez moves into new role

Chico senior Brianna Hernandez stepped into a new role Tuesday.

The Lady Dragons’ libero made 10 digs in a season-opening loss to Paradise.

“Bri was nervous about playing libero at first,” said Chico coach Susie Burt. “She made mistakes, but she played hard and never gave up. ”

Chico opened its tournament’s pool play Thursday, and will continue with bracket play Saturday.

“I hope we play with more confidence and communicate with each other more,” Burt said.

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