The Kitty Kats are playoff-ready. After falling to Nixon-Smiley earlier in the season, Yorktown came back strong Monday night, cruising to a 3–0 shutout over the Lady Mustangs.
Yorktown opened the match with confidence, taking the first set 25– 18 behind steady serving and aggressive play at the net. Their defense held firm, keeping Nixon-Smiley from finding any rhythm.
The second set proved to be a nail-biter. The Kats led from the start but saw the Mustangs tie things up at 21–21 and again at 23–23. Avery Martin broke the stalemate with a powerful kill from the middle, then rotated to serve and delivered an ace to close out the set, 26–24.
The third set looked like it might belong to the Mustangs as they built an 18–9 lead. But the Kitty Kats refused to fold. Palyn Koopman went on a scoring tear, serving eight straight points to close the gap and force a Nixon-Smiley timeout at 22– 20.
After the break, Koopman aced again, and Trinity Flores scored from the outside to tie it up. A Mustang error gave Yorktown the lead, and Hayle Russell’s kill from the middle made it 24–23.
Two quick errors tied things again at 24–24, but the Kats kept their composure. A Nixon-Smiley communication error put Yorktown ahead 25–24, and Carly Weischwill sealed the sweep with a strong hit from the right side to end it 26–24.
With the win, the Kitty Kats closed out their regular season on a high note—gaining mo-mentum and a bit of revenge as they headed into the playoffs.
Yorktown carried that momentum into the Bi-District round on Thursday, October 30, in Seguin, where they faced a tough Schulenburg squad. The Kats battled hard but fell short 22–25, 14–25, 10–25. The first set showed the team’s growth and determination, as the Kitty Kats gave the Lady Shorthorns all they could handle early. Their improvement from the start of the season to the end was clear, with the team playing hard and working for every point against a strong opponent.
Coach Patti Zenner shared her thoughts about the team’s work after the game.
“We came together as a team and rose to the challenge,” Zenner said. “Every single player made meaningful contributions, that impacted us all. the girls played their hearts out. Even though we didn’t win the match, I cant help but smile when I think about the game. When I look back at where we started and see how far we’ve come, I know that, in the end, we truly did win. This group has grown so much - both as a team and as individualsthroughout the season. I’m incredibly proud of them and so happy they were able to discover strength and ability within themselves that I always knew was there.”
