| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glenn (20-17, 3-3) | 14 | 19 | 25 | 16 | 1 |
| Rouse (29-11, 6-0) | 25 | 25 | 19 | 25 | 3 |
By Michael Adams
michael@otssports.com
LEANDER – There’s a general rule that if you poke the bear, you will feel its wrath.
After cruising to a 25-14 first set win, the Rouse Raiders fought off their cross-town rivals to claim a 3-1 (25-14, 25-19, 19-25, 25-16) victory over the Glenn Grizzlies on Tuesday at Rouse High School in Leander.
Rouse (29-11, 6-0 District 25-6A) have won seven straight.
“(Glenn) are a much-improved team, and they are playing really well” said Rouse head coach Jacob Thompson. “It’s a cross-town rival. They are always going to give us their best.”
See more photos from Tuesday’s game.
The Raiders opened the match with a 6-0 run and never trailed in the first set, leading by as many as 10 points. A kill from senior middle blocker Jadyn Wilgus set up a set point. Wilgus had a match-high 19 kills.
Rouse senior Cameron Bradley got a service ace on the next play to take the set.
The Grizzlies (20-17, 3-3) came out of hibernation in the second set and took their first lead of the match on a kill from junior Jesse Letts, who finished with a team-high 13 kills.
Rouse maintained their lead with a pair of kills from junior Jayden Thompson and senior Ava Wind, who finished with three and 10 kills, respectively.
However, Rouse took a 16-15 lead midway through the set and finished on a 9-4 run with kills from junior Jade Key and freshman Avery Ralston. Key had 8 kills while Ralston finished with 5.
Glenn controlled most of the third set and jumped out to a 12-9 lead. The Grizzlies’ front line, which consisted of sophomore MC Brandl, senior Mya Lord, Thompson, and Letts, caused a lot of problems for Rouse’s offense.
Brandl played a big role in Glenn’s defense, picking up 6 blocks to go with 2 kills. One of those kills gave the Grizzlies a 24-18 lead and set up a set point. Lord got the set-winning kill. She finished with 6 blocks and 7 kills.
Rouse got off to a 7-3 lead in the fourth set and never trailed the remainder of the match. A kill Ralston gave the Raiders an 18-11 lead and forced a Glenn timeout. However, the timeout didn’t slow down Rouse, who finished on a 7-5 4un to claim the victory.
“We knew we had nothing to lose, to be honest,” said Glenn head coach Kelly Ridge. “We knew we had to go out and give them everything we had. I felt we did that, minus the first set.”
The victory gives Rouse a firm grip on first place in District 25-5A. Glenn is in playoff contention with Liberty Hill, Leander, and Cedar Park. Both teams conclude the first round of district play on Friday. Rouse hosts Lehman, while Glenn hosts Leander.