Sports and Outdoors

 Lake Info

Normal Lake Level is 322.00 feet above Mean Sea Level.
Current level for Cedar Creek Lake is: 320.68
Water Temperature:
na degrees - top
82 degrees - bottom

Eustace clinches crown
By Kerry Yancey
Monitor Staff Writer
EUSTACE–Avenging their only district loss, the Eustace Lady Bulldogs clinched the District 14-3A volleyball championship Tuesday with a 3-1 win over the visiting Van Lady Vandals.
Now 26-8 on the season and 7-1 in loop play, the Lady Bulldogs were scheduled to visit the Kemp Lady Yellowjackets Friday night.
Tuesday, Oct. 28, the Eustace girls will wrap up the second round of district play and the regular season when they host the Mineola Lady Yellowjackets, opening with a 4:30 p.m. sub-varsity match.
As the district champion, the Lady Bulldogs will have a first-round playoff bye. In the area round, the Lady Bulldogs will face the winner of the bidistrict matchup between the District 15-3A runner-up and the District 16-3A third-place team.
Before a highly partisan home-court crowd Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs struggled with the Lady Vandals early, winning the opening game 26-24 and losing the second game 25-23.
In the third and fourth games, however, the Lady Vandals appeared to tire, and the Lady Bulldogs took control of the net en route to 25-18, 25-15 wins.
“We started out a little ‘tight,’ but as the night went on, we finally relaxed and started playing pretty good ball,” veteran Eustace coach Chuck Powers said afterward.
“I thought in games three and four, both Cassie Freeman and Jenny McConathy played solid games,” he added. “Camille Rogers took over the net in those games, as well, which took Van out of their rhythm.”
In the first game, the Lady Bulldogs opened a quick 4-1 lead, but the Lady Vandals started steadily coming back, taking advantage of Eustace errors and a couple of questionable calls.
A big hit by Van’s Caitlyn Galloway gave the Lady Vandals a 15-6 lead before the Eustace girls could break the run behind a hit from Freeman and two big spikes by McConathy.
Senior Nicole McNeel served up an ace to bring the Lady Bulldogs within a point at 17-16, and Van called time to regroup.
Van hit into the net to tie the contest at 18, and from there, neither team could take command.
An ace by Lady Vandal Brittney Wood tied the contest at 21, but the Lady Bulldogs came back with kills from McConathy and Arin Rhodes to take a 23-21 lead.
The Lady Vandals hit into the net and hit out to give the Lady Bulldogs a 25-24 lead, and another Van shot went long to seal the win for Eustace.
Van took charge early in the second game, running up a 16-8 lead before the Lady Bulldogs started coming back behind Freeman.
Freeman’s tip pulled Eustace within a point at 17-16, but the Lady Vandals held off the Lady Bulldogs behind hits from Sarah Milewski, Galloway and Chasity Smith.
In the third game, Eustace took an 8-3 lead with a Freeman kill, but a number of unforced errors allowed the Lady Vandals to close the gap.
The Lady Bulldogs again began to forge ahead behind Rogers, who started winning every battle at the net.
A block by Rogers and Jessica McConathy and a call against Van gave the Lady Bulldogs an 18-12 lead.
Chelsea Truitt’s tip and two Van misses gave the Lady Bulldogs a 21-12 lead, and from there it was just a matter of time. A Jenny McConathy hit and a Van miss wrapped up the scoring.
Both teams continued their patterns in the fourth game, although it was close early. Galloway tied the contest at 4-4, but the Lady Bulldogs again took the lead.
A hit by Jenny McConathy gave the Lady Bulldogs a 14-10 lead, and Eustace began to pull away, eventually taking a 22-12 lead before a Carly King tip broke the Eustace run.
Again, it was just a matter of time before the Lady Bulldogs closed out the game.
Freeman led the Lady Bulldogs with 21 kills, five blocks and 23 digs, while Jenny McConathy had 11 kills, four blocks and five digs.
Rogers finished with nine blocks, along with one kill, while Rhodes had four blocks, one kill and one dig.
Allison Cass had a strong all-around game, notching two kills, two blocks, two assists and 19 digs, while Truitt had four kills, two blocks and five digs.
McNeel (20) and Kimberly Austin (10) combined for 30 assists, and each had four digs.
Jessica McConathy finished with three digs and one block, while Krysta Lowry added 12 digs.
Prior to the varsity match, the Eustace junior varsity swept the Lady Vandal JV 25-18 and 25-12. At one point in the second game, the Lady Bulldogs ran off 19 straight points.

Ranch to host District 14-3A run
Monitor Staff Reports
EUSTACE–The new Four Pines Ranch will host its first cross country meet when District 14-3A runners line up for six races Monday, Oct. 27.
The varsity and junior varsity boys will cover a 3.1 mile course, while the varsity and JV girls, along with the junior high boys and girls, will travel a 2.0 mile course.
Eustace cross country coach Gene Myers said the course is completely grass and “very challenging.”
Check-in opens at 12:30 p.m. The JV girls will run the first race at 2 p.m., followed by the varsity girls (2:30 p.m.), JV boys, varsity boys (3:30 p.m.) and junior high girls and boys.
Four Pines Ranch is located at 14240 Farm-to-Market 2329, south of the Eustace schools. Follow FM 2329 south and turn left (east) onto the private road across from FM 2857.