BLUM’S LAUREN MCPHERSON SET FOR 1A STATE FINAL IN RETIREMENT YEAR
BY CHUCK LICATA, GMSPORTSMEDIA VOLLEYBALL INSIDER/BIG DADDY MEDIA CEO
Oh, how the end of Thursday’s UIL Class 1A finals match is BEGGING for a repeat.
Wayyy back in 2022, when Blum head coach Lauren McPherson took the Blum Lady Cats to their third straight 1A state title match; her squad entered the match 0-for the previous two. This time, however, Lauren had some “relative”ly great help. That from her daughter, Kinsley, who was a freshman at the time.
“Kinz,” as most of us call her, was tired of seeing her mom take the Lady Cats to the state championship match – and lose. So she personally help push Blum over the edge, earning the state tournament MVP after a 17-kill, 6-dig and.325-hitting performance in the finals sweep over D’Hanis,
So here we are in Championship week of 2025: Lauren, Kinz and the Lady Cats are getting ready for Thursday’s state title match against Water Valley at 3 p.m. at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland.
Thursday’s final is not only the last high school match for Kinsley, who will continue her volleyball career at Temple College. It’s also the last high school volleyball match for Lauren, who is retiring to watch Kinz play college ball.
“I’m ready for Thursday’s match, but I’m not,” Lauren told me, chuckling while she said it. “It’s great to be in the state championship match. But, at the same time, it’s also going to be the last high school match for me – and Kinsley.”
So maybe, just maybe, a bookend: freshman Kinsley leads Blum to the state title in 2022, followed by senior Kinsley leading the Lady Cats to a state title?
Think about it.
But as Lauren will be the first to tell you, this 2025 squad is anything but all-Kinsley, all the time. And how about this? The team’s setter NEVER PLAYED SETTER until last season, when she tallied nine assists in part-time action.
“Tallie Rufino didn’t even play volleyball until eighth grade,” Lauren explained. “She came from Maryland as a soccer player. She’s such a good athlete; she transitioned as a 5-1 (rotation) setter just this year. That’s not a long time to learn the position, but she’s doing it. She’s super-athletic and amazing.”
Blum has had stellar setters and liberos in their Class 1A dynasty – six trips to state in the last seven years; seven trips in the last nine. Senior Addie Koetting fits that bill.
“She is a very athletic kid; she and Kinsley have been playing together since fifth grade,” Lauren revealed. “They’ve been through a lot; they’re very much teammates on-and-off the courts.”
Another link to that first championship title in ’22 is junior outside hitter Haley Scott; she’s the younger sister of state champion Emma Scott, a legend in Blum annals as a middle blocker.
“We actually looked at Haley as a setter this year before Tallie took over,” Lauren declared. “But having her as a hitter helps the offense. Her defense is outstanding. Her confidence has really grown in the playoffs.”
And then there’s Landree Bennett, the 5-10 middle blocker who’s been a solid player for the Lady Cats for three years. “She’s always had a solid block,” coach McPherson said. She had six total blocks in the state semifinals. But she’s also added to her offensive skills, and she’s helped with our team defense.”
Blum will need a full team effort against Water Valley on Thursday. Kinsley helped get Mom her first-ever gold medal four years ago; now, she’ll have the chance to add just one more to her collection.
