Witnessed by a large, enthusiastic, and appreciative Cardinal Gym crowd Thursday night, the ninth-ranked Lady Cardinals authored a new chapter in the 13-year history of the volleyball program.
With a 3-0 win against Lee College, the Lady Cardinals claimed their first-ever Region XIV Conference championship, which is accompanied with the No. 1 seed in the upcoming regional tournament Nov. 3-6 in Carthage at Panola College.
The Lady Cardinals upped their season record to 24-8 with the win. At 13-0, they are three wins from completing a perfect march through the conference.
Next up for the Lady Cardinals is their final road outing of the regular season. They go Saturday to Wharton before returning home to face Coastal Bend on Friday, Oct. 28 and Victoria on Saturday, Oct. 29.
After scoring a 25-18 win in the first set against Lee, the Lady Cardinals overcame a 15-10 deficit in the second set in pulling out a 25-21 win. They coasted 25-15 in the third set to complete the sweep and trigger a celebration of history.
Team members are Selma Sutaj, Nyah Barron, Valentina Tijerina, Sofia Velez, Lorelai Hill, Pinar Dugeroglu, Wendy Martinez, Lizanyela Lopez, Zailey Moses, Mafer Cisneros Salas, Bailee Albinus, Adamari Sepulveda, Rockelle Collier, Julia Cruz and Azul Pilahg. Aleah Hayes is in her fourth year as head coach. She is assisted by Erin Pavlin.
The win was the 80th career head coaching win for Hayes. She is now 80-48, all with the Lady Cardinals.
Lee fell to 21-12 and 5-9 with the loss.
