SCHULENBURG — The Schulenburg High School volleyball team swept Shiner High School in three sets on senior night at Shorthorns Gym Oct. 14 by a final score of 25-17, 25-22, 25-11. The Lady Horns were able to hold off Shiner after they hung in well for the first two sets, then it seemed that
Shiner was gassed in the third set and Schulenburg took advantage with lots of offense.
“Melissa gets a little more emotional about it than me,” said Schulenburg head coach Donald Zapalac, the father of senior setter Landry Zapalac, who walked up together before the game for Schulenburg’s senior night ceremony.
“It means a lot, her being a senior this year. Overall as a team, I thought everything was great tonight. The third set when we missed three serves in row, that was the only thing that really got me. I thought we moved the ball really well. Shiner’s a great blocking team. I’ve seen them so many times and they’re a tremendous job blocking. For us to avoid that block tonight, that was the biggest thing. The difference in this match. We were able to
Senior setter Landry Zapalac had 35 assists for the night and talked about the emotions of playing for her dad on senior night.
“It was a lot of emotions for sure,” Landry Zapalac said. “I try not to think about it too much because I’ll get really sad, but it was a lot. I just wanted to go out there and do my job and play for him like always. I was really focused on this game. I knew my team had it in us, so we just had to play our ball and we really executed that tonight, so that was great.”
Schulenburg took an early 5-1 lead on two aces in a row before Shiner battled back and made it 9-8 after an ace of their own and a few kills in a row beforehand.
The Lady Horns regained their comfortable lead back at 17-11 on a couple kills and some mistakes from Shiner, then Schulenburg kept that same kind of lead throughout the rest of the set on an ace from junior defensive specialist Michaela Kollmann, two tips balls from Landry Zapalac, a kill from junior outside hitter Greenli VanZandt, and some previous kills mixed in before a kill from senior opposite hitter Grace Schramek won the set for Schulenburg at 25-17.
A much closer second set led to the Lady Horns taking a 13-8 lead midway through the set after a kill, which forced Shiner to call a timeout.
Schulenburg kept this same kind of lead for most of the remainder of the set until Shiner went on a run that included two aces and a bunch of kills to make it 23-21 in favor of Schulenburg.
A kill from Schramek made it 24-21, then a ball in the net from Shiner for Schulenburg’s final point of the set won it for the Lady Horns 25-22.
Schulenburg really took control in the third set and made it 5-1 after an ace.
The Lady Horns kept their steady lead for most of the set, then really took over later in the set and made it 21-8 after an ace and a tip ball.
Four more kills from Schulenburg and an illegal hit from Shiner won Schulenburg the set and match 25-11.
put balls on the floor."
