KINSLEY WINS MVP TO ‘BOOKEND’ LEGENDARY BLUM CAREER
BY CHUCK LICATA, GMSPORTSMEDIA INSIDER/CEO, BIG DADDY MEDIA
Photo by Chuck Licata
The Water Valley Lady Cats may have felt they were in a bit of vacuum.
Talk about walking into someone else’s “dream path.”
Coach Soli Quiroga and the Water Valley players gave it all they had against the Blum Lady Cats in the UIL Class 1A state championship match Thursday (Nov. 20) at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland.
Blum won the match in three sets (25-18, 25-20, 25-9) to secure its third state title since 2022 (for those of you bad at math, that’s three titles in four years).
But the obvious storyline going in was the McPhersons- namely, Kinsley (the senior hitter headed to Temple College) and Lauren, the coach/proud Mom who’s retiring after leading Blum’s version of the Lady Cats to the state tournament seven times since 2017 – and winning the title each of the last three trips (2022, 23 & 25).
More so, Kinsley (who tallied a double-double with 23 kills and 19 digs) won the state championship MVP award for the second time on Thursday. The first, of course, was her freshman year, when she got her Mom (and the Blum volleyball community) over the hump to the pinnacle after failed state tournament appearances in 2017, 19, 20 and 21.
“It’s just – amazing,” Kinsley, or “Kinz” said after the victory. “To be able to go out like this is a dream. I’m so thrilled for me and my Mom, but it’s also about our (Blum) community. I wouldn’t be here – and the team wouldn’t be here – without so many people who support this program.”
As Lauren leaves the floor and program, her successor is already in place.
As old-time radio favorite Paul Havey used to say, here’s “The Rest of the Story.”
Lauren graduated from Blum and played volleyball for then-coach Jeff Sanders, who’s currently an assistant coach AND superintendent of Blum ISD. Fast forward to today; as Lauren leaves, she gives the keys of the program to Assistant Coach Emma Rodriguez.
And to follow the storyline above – yes, Emma played for Lauren as the Blum alum comes back and now takes over for HER former coach.
The Circle of Life.
Kinsley slammed her match-high 23 kills at a blistering .396 hitting percentage; Blum hitters hit a robust .282 as a team. Junior Haley Scott, who’s sister Emma was won a state medal on the ’22 team, slammed 12 kills and added seven digs to go with a match-high three service aces.
Other Blum tally-sheeters: junior Tallie Ruffino with 35 assists, six digs, two kills and an ace; junior Landree Bennett, with four kills, seven digs and an assist; senior libero Addie Koetting, with nine digs, one ace and one assist; and, sophomore Ryleigh Tippitt, with two digs, two aces and an assist.
Leading the way for Water Valley was sophomore McCaylen Woods, who pounded 13 kills at a .250 clip; she finished a double-double with 10 digs. Junior Rylee Sears tallied seven kills, three aces and two digs while teammate Bailey Voss, a sophomore setter, dished our 14 assists and made 13 digs to go with two aces.
Rounding out the tally sheet for Water Valley was junior Autumn Fitzpatrick (11 assists, 11 digs and one kill); senior Heidi Riddle-Rios (six kills, four digs); junior Janaye Coston (six kills and three digs); and freshman libero Molly Walkerson (11 digs and two assists).
