By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Not much is better in volleyball than starting a match on an 8-0 run.
The strong opening proved to be exactly what Ruston High (6-3) needed against the Northwood High School Falcons (7-4) out of Shreveport en route to a three-set sweep– all thanks in large part to Lady Bearcat senior outside hitter Harper Cauley’s efforts and another solid night at the service line for the squad with 15 aces.
“I was very pleased tonight,” Ruston High head coach Mandy Cauley said. “I thought the girls came in with the energy that we’ve been looking for. We had very few slumps, and tonight, the most points we gave up in a row was four. That’s something we worked on, so I was very pleased overall with the girls as individuals and as a team tonight.”
The Lady Bearcat never trailed in the match, winning by final scores of 25-14, 25-14 and 25-15. Ruston started the second set on a 6-0 run and the third set on a 6-1 run.
“That’s a great feeling (when you’re starting strong),” Cauley said. “It’s been a minute since we’ve started that well, so I’m very proud of the girls. They just showed up. We’ve had tough practices, and practice today wasn’t great. I was worried about how it would translate to the court. But I give them all the credit — they showed up ready to play tonight. They did a great job.”
Northwood could find no answer for Harper Cauley at the net, as she was dialed in from pregame warmups, totaling 17 kills on the night in the home match sweep. Baylor Cauley led the team with six aces from the service line, while also adding 19 assists.
“She told me pregame “Mom, I’m on one,” and when she’s dialed in like that, there’s no stopping her,” Cauley said of daughter Harper. “She was going over, around and through. And then if she did hit the block, she hit it pretty dang hard. She’s in her zone right now. But, again, the further and further we get into playing teams down south and more seasoned teams, they’re going to figure out how to pinpoint Harper. So the rest of team still has to know how to respond.
“So I give Harper a lot of credit, but I know that for us to continue to be successful, I have to have six people on the court and and bench of girls ready to go.”
Senior Rilee Atwood added seven kills on the night, while junior Laia Canovas added 14 assists.
Ruston High will begin district play tonight, heading down to Alexandria Senior High for a junior varsity and then varsity matchup.
For the latest local news, subscribe FOR FREE to the Lincoln Parish Journal and receive an email each weekday morning at 6:55 right to your inbox. Just CLICK HERE to sign up.
