DALLAS, TX -- Cate Hatfield recorded her sixth double-double of the season last night to lead Bishop Lynch (17-12, 3-1) to a five set victory over John Paul II (23-9, 3-2) in front of Friar Nation. The Friars and Lady Cardinals went back and forth throughout the entire match but BL got the final laugh with a 16-14 victory in the final set.

There was not a lot going the Friars' way heading into the district match yesterday. Riley Seitz and Paloma Gonzalez were sidelined due to injury, and head coach Shea Jenkins was out due to an illness. This opened up the opportunity for other members of the BLVB team to step up under the direction of assistant coach Celeste Cerda.

When you look at the stats, a lot of them favor the Lady Cardinals. The reason Bishop Lynch ultimately won this match through great defense and scrappy play. The leader of the scrap pack was Delaney Moon whose never-give-up attitude led to a lot of extra chances for the Friars. She recorded 17 digs last night, including four in the final set. The entire team recorded 72 digs last night, which is tied for the fourth most they have had all season.

Cate Hatfield once again proved how important she is as a player and leader in last night's game. Without the head coach, the William & Mary commit acted as another coach on the court last night. That leadership combined with her skill is why Friar Nation is lucky number 10 wears the Friar logo on her jersey. Hatfield had an incredible stat line of 16 kills on .325% with 34 assists, six digs, and one ace. The 16 kills marked a career-high while the 34 assists were the second-most she has ever recorded.

With Riley out of the match, Madison Pflum and newly added call-up Charlie Wells had to step up big time in the middle. Pflum delivered as the sophomore had a career-high 10 kills, four aces, and three blocks. Wells not only fulfilled her duties, but she provided a huge spark as the freshman had two big solo blocks and a kill.

Congratulations to assistant coach Celeste Cerda on recording her first career victory as acting head coach for Bishop Lynch.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first set was all the fans could have asked for as BL and JPII battled it out closely until BL pulled away to a 25-21 win. Cate Hatfield had her best hitting set as she recorded five of her 16 kills. Avery Seitz helped the Friars with four kills as both Seitz and Hatfield hit over .370%. The Friars were able to pull away near the end of the set when Pflum had three straight aces.

This match was best represented by Judge Roy Scream rollercoaster at the Six Flags Over Texas - it just went up and down for BL. JPII outhit the Friars 13-10 in the second set while also grabbing three aces on its way to a 25-16 set win.

We then went back to an upward trajectory for the Friars as the third set was much like the first. The Friars had 17 digs in the third set and four aces to help them take the third 25-19 and the 2-1 advantage.

In the pivotal fourth set, the Lady Cardinals won pretty easily 25-15. Though JPII played well in the set, the Friars committed too many unforced errors to stay close.

The thrilling fifth set was quite the ride as BL held a close advantage before taking a 14-10 lead in the first to 15. JPII fought back to make it 14-14 before BL finally closed the door on their comeback with a 16-14 set win. Avery Seitz had a huge set with five kills while Maddie Smotherman and Moon each recorded four digs. Cate Hatfield assisted or killed on 11 of BL's 14 kills.

Bishop Lynch Game Leaders:
Kills: Avery Seitz & Cate Hatfield | 16
Assists: Cate Hatfield | 34
Digs: Maddie Smotherman | 23
Blocks: Madison Pflum | 3
Aces: Madison Pflum | 4

SUB-VARSITY
JV1: The JV1 team had a busy day yesterday. They traveled and played in the Frisco Flyer Tournament where they went 2-1 with wins over Plano West and McKinney. They then traveled back to BL to take on John Paul II where they lost 2-1. They are now 10-3, 2-1 on the season.
Freshmen: The freshmen team hosted John Paul II last night and dropped a game to the Lady Cardinals 2-0. They are now 7-5, 1-2 on the season.

AROUND TAPPS LAST NIGHT:
6A - District 1
Ursuline Academy defeated Parish Episcopal, 3-0

6A - District 2
St. Agnes defeated St. Pius, 3-0

TAPPS 6A - DISTRICT 1 STANDINGS
1) Prestonwood: 18-3, 4-0
3) Bishop Lynch: 17-12, 3-1
3) John Paul II: 23-9, 3-2
4) Ursuline Academy: 15-5, 3-2
5) Nolan Catholic: 17-10, 1-3
6) Parish Episcopal: 3-5-2, 1-3
7) Trinity Christian Academy: 6-16-1, 0-4

NEXT UP:
The Friars hit the road to take on Trinity Christian Academy for the first time this season. The match will be played on Tuesday, September 26 at 6:00 p.m.
 

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