Carl Albert faces challenge at McGuinness tournament

Choctaw tops Titans for seventh place

By Jeff Harrison
Midwest City Beacon

Carl Albert’s volleyball team has faced stiff competition this month.

That trend continued last week as they faced several Class 6A opponents in the Bishop McGuinness Varsity Clancy Classic Tournament.

Carl Albert lost all three games in pool play on Friday. They lost to No. 10 Moore 2-0 in the first match. The Lady

Titans split the first two sets against No. 8 Edmond Santa Fe but fell 2-1 (22-25, 25-6, 8-25). They closed out the day with a 2-0 loss to Lincoln Christian (25-19, 25-19).

On Saturday, the Lady Titans came up short against 6A’s Yukon (3-0) and Choctaw (3-1) in the final day of competition.

Carl Albert coach Tabitha McCray said she was pleased with her team’s effort, and they’re focused on becoming more consistent against higher level competition.

“Right now, we’ve been playing 6A and private schools,” she said. “The girls are living up to our expectations but not pushing more towards their goals. We’re a strong team for a few points but we need to be a strong team for all 25 points and every single game. One game against these teams isn’t enough.”

Yukon won the first round of the silver division bracket 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-17).

Carl Albert then faced Choctaw in the seventh-place contest. The Lady Titans improved since their last meeting with their neighboring high school, but still struggled with Choctaw’s size and hitters.

“We’re probably the shortest team in our conference so it’s a struggle but our girls are getting to the point where they can spot the open areas,” McCray said. “…When we play some of these strong teams that have bigger front row threats, we need to be more creative to get our own points.”

The Lady Titans came out strong and took the first set 25-23. Kamry Cox had a key block and the Lady Yellowjackets failed to return the volley for the final point.

Choctaw regrouped and took charge in the second. They finished the set on a 6-1 run for a 25-16 win. Malerie Hawk,

Teagan Norman and Carly Gregory had several key kills and blocks in the win.

In the third, the Lady Titans held a slim lead for much of the way. Cherish Watson scored an ace to put her team up 22-20. But Choctaw reeled off five straight for the win. Hawk scored a couple of kills and Claire Bain had the final point in the 25-22 win.

Choctaw continued to use their size advantage to control the net in the fourth for the clinching 25-19 win.

Carl Albert’s Kailey Stuart and Choctaw’s Malerie Hawk were both named to the all-tournament team.

The Lady Titans are home Thursday for senior night against Putnam City West.