Farmersville junior Cambrant Donaldson tips the ball around the hands of a Quinlan Ford defender Friday at Farmersville Arena. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media
By David Wolman
The Farmersville volleyball team was a few plays away from potentially finishing the first half of District 13-4A play without a loss. But despite those near misses, the Lady Farmers are well-positioned to earn a 13th consecutive playoff appearance.
A pair of sweeps over Quinlan Ford (25-10, 25-12, 25-18) and Wills Point (25-18, 25-13, 25-12) last week gave Farmersville a 3-2 record during the first half of District 13-4A play.
Farmersville (26-11 overall, 3-2 district) entered this week two matches ahead of Wills Point (9-17, 1-4) for the final playoff spot in the district and one ahead of fourth-place Kaufman (20-10, 2-3), with five matches remaining in the regular season.
Aggressive net play set the tone for Friday’s home match against Quinlan Ford.
Kills by sophomore Nidya Duran, senior Peighton Purser and junior Cambrant Donaldson gave Farmersville a commanding 7-1 lead in the opening set.
Purser, at one point, had more kills (five) than Quinlan Ford had points (four). She went on to finish with a team-high 13 kills, seven coming in the first set.
Farmersville also capitalized on numerous free balls. A bad pass by Quinlan Ford led to Purser hitting a booming kill up the left side for a 12-3 Lady Farmers lead.
“One thing I told them is that we have the advantage at the net,” Farmersville head coach Arian May said. “I was like, ‘Don’t tip, get up there and have an opportunity to swing as hard as you can.’ Most of the time, they took advantage of that.”
Donaldson also capitalized on her chances.
After a back injury limited Donaldson’s playing time earlier in the season, she has emerged as a go-to option in the middle of Farmersville’s front row.
Donaldson had five kills and two aces in the win against Quinlan Ford and also had an accurate arm behind the service line. She served five points in a row, including one ace, midway through the first set to help the Lady Farmers take control.
“She has been a great leader,” May said. “She is always communicating, is a great presence. She is always ready for the set. She’s been doing really well.”
Farmersville’s depth was on full display with May giving every player extended playing time Friday, and they all contributed in some way.
Freshman outside hitter Emree Brazil came up swinging late in the opening frame. Her third kill forced set point. Purser polished off the win with a kill of her own on the ensuing point for a 1-0 lead for Farmersville in the best-of-five match.
Quinlan Ford took a 3-2 lead in the second set on a Farmersville hitting error, but two more kills by Purser and a block by senior Presley McIver swung the momentum back in favor of the Lady Farmers.
Serving continued to be a strength for Farmersville.
Sophomore Caroline Lindsey, senior Breelynn Pollard, junior Brinlea McDole and sophomore Presley Lopez combined for six aces in the second set. Lopez’s ace secured a 12-point victory for the Lady Farmers and a commanding 2-0 advantage in the match.
Quinlan Ford dug a lot more of Farmersville’s hitting attempts in the third set, but a strong finish ensured the match didn’t go past a third set.
A pair of Duran kills sparked a 6-1 Lady Farmers run to end the match.
Farmersville will now turn its attention to the second half of district play and attempt to complete a season sweep of Kaufman while earning a split against Caddo Mills and Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale visits Farmersville on Friday. First serve is set for 4:30 p.m.
“Against Sunnyvale, we played really good,” May said. “It’s honestly one of the best times that I’ve seen us playing against Sunnyvale. We were up 22-20 and 23-21 in those first two sets. We just had to find a way to finish. Same with Caddo. After those two games, they gained some confidence. We showed that we can beat those teams. We just have to figure out how to finish.”
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