Peaster is going back to the regional tournament for the first time in seven years and the Lady Hounds had to get past a familiar playoff opponent.
For the fourth straight season, Peaster and Holliday met up in the playoffs.
Holliday has had Peaster’s number – winning the three previous postseason meetings including a sweep in 2021.
But the Hounds had other plans Monday night.
Behind a strong opening set, Peaster knocked off its playoff nemesis 25-15, 21-25, 25-16. 25-16 in a Class 3A Region 1 quarterfinal at Bowie HS. Peaster won its 21st consecutive match and improved its record to 37-7 this season.
The Lady Hounds were the #1 seed after finishing 14-0 in District 8-3A.
They will head to the regional tournament for the first time since 2016 – where they face the winner of Alpine (31-9) and Denver City (40-6). The regional semifinals will be Friday at Lubbock-Cooper HS. The regional final is set for Saturday.
After both squads traded points in the first set, it was tied at 6-6 before Peaster rallied off four points in a row. Holliday pulled within 13-10 and Peaster again countered with a run of 7-3 to grab a 20-13 edge. The run extended to 12-5 as the Hounds took a 1-0 lead.
Holliday led 11-10 in the third set, but another lengthy run from Peaster (15-5) ended it – giving the Lady Hounds a 2-1 advantage.
Holliday ended the season 36-10.
The Eagles came into the night having scored 20 or more in seven of eight sets during the playoffs. They swept Breckenridge in bi-district and defeated Wall 3-2 in area. The only time they didn’t score 20 was the fifth set against Wall (15-11).
