November 25, 2022
Blum High School Head Volleyball Coach Lauren McPherson had a feeling this would be the Lady Bobcats’ year to go all the way, and her team proved her right by claiming a state championship at the University Interscholastic League (UIL) State Tournament Wednesday and Thursday, November 16 and 17, at the Curtis Caldwell Center in Garland.
“We played a tough schedule against bigger schools in non-district,” the coach said. “The way we were competing against those teams this year was different than in past seasons, so we had a pretty good idea that this could possibly be the year for us.”
The Lady Cats downed Lamesa Klondike in three straight (25-19, 25-10, 25-13) in the state semifinal Wednesday. Blum issued the same dominate performance the following day in the state final as the Lady Bobcats rolled the D’Hanis Cowgirls in three straight sets (25-10, 25-17, 25-16).
McPherson said, “I felt like we had a great game plan for both games, and I’m just proud of what these girls were able to accomplish.”
Tournament MVP honors went to freshman Kinsley McPherson after her 17 kills and 6 digs. Kinsley is the daughter of Coach McPherson. The head coach talked about how special it is to have her daughter not only on the team, but also competing at a high level on the big stage.
The coach said, “I have known for a long time that she was a special player, but to see her go out and perform in the tournament is just really amazing.”
While winning a state title is without a doubt impressive, doing it without a senior on the team makes it that much more notable.
The head coach said, “We expect to be back here doing the same thing next year.”
The Lady Cats finish the championship season with an 8-0 district record and a 33-13 record overall.
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