In a high-stakes battle on Tuesday night, the Lubbock-Cooper Liberty Patriots were edged out in a five-set marathon by the Canyon Eagles, who prevailed 25-23, 24-26, 19-25, 26-24, 15-11. Despite valiant efforts from Liberty, Canyon capitalized on key moments to secure a home victory and improve their record to 13-9. Canyon’s Brooklyn Kinsey was pivotal, recording 14 kills and three blocks, while Sydnee Winfrey added nine kills and five blocks. On the defensive end, the Eagles were anchored by Cali McKinley with 29 digs, and Landri Jay’s 22 digs pushed her past the impressive 1,500 career dig milestone.
For Lubbock-Cooper Liberty, the loss was a tough pill to swallow, but several standout performances kept the Patriots in contention throughout the intense five-set contest. Jacelyn Gestes orchestrated the offense with 20 assists, 10 digs, and served up five aces. Katelynn Glenn matched her assist total with 20 of her own while chipping in seven digs. On defense, Liberty's backcourt was held together by the relentless efforts of Taelyn Salinas, who amassed a team-high 32 digs. Liberty found offensive contributions across the board. Campbell Beeler led with 18 digs and nine kills, showing her versatility on both ends of the court. Ellis Roberts and Abby Dallas both delivered nine and eight kills, respectively, while Braylee Barron added seven kills and two crucial blocks. Madi Heider also chipped in with seven kills, rounding out a balanced offensive effort for the Patriots.
After dropping a close first set 25-23, Liberty battled back to take the second and third sets, 26-24 and 25-19, respectively. Their defense and passing came alive, with Salinas leading the charge from the back row. However, Canyon refused to fold, eking out a 26-24 victory in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth. In the final set, the Eagles managed to pull away late, taking the set 15-11 behind a balanced attack and timely blocking at the net. Liberty now falls to 19-10 on the season, but the Patriots will look to bounce back from the heartbreaker as they head into a dual this weekend with Midland Greenwood and Randall.
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