Lady Mustangs eliminate Lady Bulldogs in volleyball opening round
November 4, 2025
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“We just needed to stay relaxed and calm and play our game, and we did that instead of freaking out,” said Friendswood head volleyball coach Sarah Paulk, whose Lady Mustangs advance to face Montgomery Lake Creek in an area-round match tentatively set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at New Caney High School.
The opening game was a tight back-and-forth contest with 13 ties and six lead changes, but Nederland finished it with a 9-3 run led by a block and an ace from Kiley Havard and a block and a kill from Carlee Berry.
“They were really loud and motivated and excited, and we were kind of like just going through the motions,” Paulk said.
Highlighted by an ace from Caroline Adams and a kill from Nadi’ya Shelby, Friendswood jumped out to a 4-1 lead and led the second set wire-to-wire. Leading 9-6, the Lady Mustangs stomped on the accelerator with a 6-1 run featuring a Bailey Hopkins ace and a couple Ellie Leitko put-aways.
Ahead 17-14 in the third set, Friendswood finished with a furious 8-1 run that was ignited with consecutive kills from Shelby, Hopkins and Sarah Grace Hickl. After that, Julia Ford snuck in an ace and Elaina Holtvluwer had a kill to help the Lady Mustangs close it out and take a two sets to one lead.
“From the first couple points of the second set, we looked like a completely different team,” Paulk said. “We’ve got to be ready to play from the very beginning.”
Leading the Lady Mustangs were Shelby (17 kills, nine digs), Hickl (11 kills), Holtvluwer (nine kills), Adams (21 assists, 13 digs), Haley Patton (18 digs, five assists) and Ashley Adams (eight assists).
