PHOTO: MATT SMITH
BY BRIAN GOSSET
X – @Gosset41
GARLAND – Stormi Snider spent the previous nine seasons building Ponder into one of the top teams in the state, but always came up short of a state tournament appearance. When she came to Decatur in the spring, she knew what she was getting into – inheriting a program already with its foot in the door.
Plus with nine seniors, Snider knew they had a chance at a playoff run.
The Eagles capped off the season on Friday night with a win over Bellville 25-22, 25-21, 24-26, 25-23 during the Class 4A Division 1 state championship at the Culwell Center.
“I don’t think it’s hit me yet because normally I’m an emotional wreck,” Snider said. “It will probably happen when I drive the bus home. It just speaks of the work and the grit that these girls have put in since August 5th and the motto all year has been state or die.”
Since their first state berth in 2013, the Eagles have gone to state six times and have come away perfect with six state championships. Decatur is 12-0 all time at UIL state matches. Bellville was looking for its 10th title.
Decatur moves into a tie for 12th place for most titles in UIL volleyball history.
“It’s just the culture and the family environment. We love each other and it’s such a great feeling. Decatur volleyball is just different,” senior Gracie Trulson said.
Senior Lara Hornsby (East Texas Baptist commit) was voted state champ MVP with 16 kills and 16 digs. The Eagles end the year 32-13 while Bellville fell to 44-6.
Fellow senior Peyton Dickson (Midwestern State) added a triple double with 13 kills, 19 assists and 12 digs. Trulson (West Texas A&M) had seven kills and senior Aubrie Duncan chipped in a team-high 17 digs.
The title was their first since the 2021 season.
Trulson and Hornsby were both on the state roster in 2021 as freshmen – as both bookend their high school careers with a second state championship. Decatur also won in 2020, 2018, 2014 and 2013. Ironically, the UIL recognized Decatur’s 2014 state title team during the 10-year anniversary. The head coach then was Claire Gay, who brought Decatur its first two state titles. She’s now the coach at Aledo, taking the Ladycats to state in 2017 and this season. Aledo’s season ended on Tuesday in the 5A D1 semifinals vs McKinney North.
Also on that team as a player was Ponder coach Makayla Good, who led the Lions this year to the state semifinals for the first time in program history.
Decatur struggled hitting the whole night – ending with a 0.090 percentage. But the Eagles managed to do enough to take a 2-0 lead. They got out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set. Bellville went on a 10-3 run and took the lead at 11-8.
The Brahmas defeated last year’s 4A champ Davenport 3-2 in the semifinals.
But they struggled behind the service line with 16 service errors.
Decatur was able to regain the lead at 19-18 following back to back kills by Hornsby. Then an error on Bellville pushed the lead to two. Another error and kills by Hornsby and Dickson, and Decatur’s lead grew to 23-19. Dickson gave the Eagles set point and Bellville’s sixth service error of the set gave Decatur the win.
There were seven ties in the second set before the 10-point mark until Bellville scored four straight to lead 11-7. But Decatur answered with a 7-0 run with three straight Brahmas errors, Hornsby kill, Dickson ace and two more errors. The Eagles were up as many as six and Bellville was never able to tie it. Dickson’s kill gave Decatur a 23-21 lead and Hornsby scored on set point to push the lead to 2-0 in the match.
Nine ties went down in the third as Decatur looked to end it in straight sets. The Eagles also won the state semifinals over Celina in a sweep on Tuesday. The match-up was a rematch of the 2021 Class 4A title game.
Decatur had match championship point at 24-23 following a Trulson kill, but the Eagles gave up three straight. Bellville got a kill from Samantha Marik and two straight Decatur errors secured the win for the Brahmas and extended the match.
The Eagles scored five of the first six points in the fourth set on two kills by Hornsby, one from Trulson and a Dickson ace. Decatur got up as many as 11-3 leading to a Brahmas timeout. But Bellville rallied back to make Decatur nervous. Trailing by seven, Bellville managed to get within three at 16-13. But two more errors and a Hornsby ace helped the Eagles extend the lead to 19-13 – sitting comfortably to end the match in four.
Then a 20-14 lead was cut to 20-19 as Snider had to call a timeout. The Brahmas tied it at 21 on a kill by Teaghan Eckelberg followed by a Dickson kill for the lead. Lilly Lowery scored on a solo block to make it 23-21. Dickson’s final kill gave Decatur match point at 24-22. Bellville pulled within 24-23 on a kill by Marik and Hornsby finished off a great high school career with Decatur with her 16th kill on match point to send her teammates to the floor in celebration.
“I was just trying to keep them calm,” Snider said about late in the fourth set. “We do better when we feel we’re in control. If we can feel that the next point is ours, they go out and they dominate. I always say get a good pass, get a good swing and that’s exactly what they did, and they didn’t let their nerves and the emotions of a late push overtake them. They didn’t want to go to a fifth set.
“It’s amazing. I never got the opportunity as a player to ever be anywhere near this,” Snider added about winning her first title as a head coach. Getting the opportunity to win this with this group of girls is even more special. It’s hard to buy in with a new coach and to know they are 100% with me, and I’m 100% with them – it’s hard to explain because everyone dreams of this and to be on that floor, and we did it. It’s hard to explain, but it’s an amazing feeling and I wouldn’t want it with any other girls and I’m very excited and blessed that I got to start my career with Decatur with this team.”
Added Hornsby on winning MVP, “Freshman year I was right next to Jentry Lamirand when she won her MVP. I always looked at that and I said I want that, I want to be MVP. Obviously we didn’t get that chance the last two years so this year I really wanted to prove myself and be like Jentry Lamirand. I really thought Peyton was going to win so that’s why I was really shocked.”
