Following big wins against Van and Quinlan Ford, the Paris Lady Wildcats hosted the Gilmer Lady Buckeyes in both of the teams’ district opener on Tuesday. The defending district champion Lady ‘Cats got out of the gates quickly by winning the opening two sets of the match, but Gilmer stormed back. The visitors rallied to win the next three tightly-contested sets to close out the match. In the end, Paris lost at home by a final score of 25-13, 25-17, 20-25, 21-25, and 12-15.
Paris was impressive early in the match, thanks in large part to their success both behind the service line and at the net. As a team, the Lady ‘Cats finished with 12 blocks, 13 aces, and 38 kills all without the services of star junior outside hitter Macey McAmis.
The Lady ’Cats won the district last season with a 7-1 record within the league. Paris also claimed a district title at an 8-2 clip within their conference in 2017. The early loss to Gilmer puts Paris at the same loss total as last season. In 2019, Paris fell in the final district game at Pleasant Grove even though the Lady ’Cats already clinched the title.
Senior middle Hannah Gibbons led Paris in the loss with 13 kills, 8 digs, 4 blocks, and 3 aces. Junior setter Lilly Lewis contributed with 4 kills, 28 assists, 8 digs, 2 blocks, and 3 aces. Sophomores Reece Reavis and Ava Tidwell were impactful also in the match. Reavis recorded 9 kills and 2 aces, while Tidwell added 7 kills and 5 blocks.
The Lady ‘Cats will try to bounce back at 4:30 p.m. Friday at Pittsburg. For more sports coverage, click here.
