Lady Apaches ‘out-powered’ in bi-district loss

SAN ANTONIO — The Gonzales Lady Apaches played tough, but were out-matched by District 28-4A’s champion Fredericksburg, losing in the bi-district round of the playoffs (25-17, 25-11, 25-8) at the McDermott Convocation Center at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio.

“I’m really proud of the girls,” Gonzales Head Coach Bernice Voigt said. “They stood up against them and got some stuff up they shouldn’t have. We played with them in several occasions. We were just out-powered — but they fought and didn’t give up and I’m so proud of them for that. They kept wanting to get to the next ball, didn’t always go our way, but they kept at it. They didn’t stop and I’m really proud of them for that.”

One point in particular illustrated the fight the Lady Apaches had against the Lady Billies in the second set. Down 5-2, Fredericksburg slammed the ball down on multiple attacks, yet Lady Apaches’ Hayley Sample, Maura Garcia and Samantha Barnick were there for digs, with Gonzales eventually winning the point on a kill by Chelsie Hastings.

“Hayley and Maura were picking up everything,” Voigt said, “and then Sam got some and they didn’t know where it was coming from. We just kept giving it back to them and the girls got energized and it was fun. They realized they can compete with them. Just little things ate us up.”

Despite losing the final set 25-8, Voigt admitted this bout was leaps and bounds better than last year’s bi-district matchup against Fredericksburg.

“This is so much better than last year,” she said, “and next year it’ll even be better. We’ll just have to keep on working and believing in each other.”

Gonzales’ lone senior, Cameron Kluting, was credited for her leadership throughout the season.

“She’s a good leader,” Voigt explained. “She worked hard. She wanted us to be successful and she never quit and she’s’ been injured the whole season.”

The Lady Apaches finished the district in fourth, with plenty of talent returning next season.