Title matches today as Aledo, Brock prep

By Kevin Casas

Special to the Star-Telegram

GARLAND -- On the eve of playing today for UIL state volleyball titles, Aledo and Brock managed their off day Friday a bit differently.

For Class 2A Brock, it was practice time at Sunnyvale High School. For Class 4A Aledo, it was dinner and a movie, maybe.

"We're not going to practice, I know that," Aledo coach Kathy Goings said. "I preach to the kids to just look at one game at a time, but this time, I had to make two game plans for the opportunity that we would play Saturday, so we're going to spend time going over that."

Brock (44-3) plays Schulenburg (35-9) at 11:30 a.m., at the Curtis Culwell Center. Aledo (41-5) meets Lucas Lovejoy (47-4) and All-America hitter Ebony Nwanebu at 4:30 p.m.

Aledo's rise isn't by accident, although even Friendswood coach Kelly Beck seemed dumbfounded as to how her team was beaten by the Bearcats

"Obviously it was disappointing," Beck said Thursday. "I definitely think that we are the better team.

"I thought they were ready, but I thought there were some weak moments for us and there were some uncharacteristic things that we did."

What Aledo did was eliminate Friendswood with a defensive effort that forced hitter Jillian Bergeson to get away from her usual game.

Raygan McLelland and Mykah Wilson combined for 38 of Aledo's 92 digs against Friendswood's power hitting.

What Aledo also did was show how flexible the Bearcats can be by mixing up the defense, by giving Friendswood different looks.

Employing that same strategy will be paramount in facing Nwanebu. She's a 6-foot-4 outsider hitter who has signed to play for Southern California.

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