The Decatur Lady Eagles (25-13, 12-2) celebrate after defeating Eagle Mountain in five sets to claim the team’s first District 7-4A title under coach Stormi Snider Tuesday at Eagle Mountain High School. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
The Decatur Lady Eagles had one final opponent left on their District 7-4A schedule Tuesday night — a showdown against former coach Catherine Foerster’s Eagle Mountain squad for the league title.
After rallying to force a decisive fifth set, the Lady Eagles started out hot with a 3-0 start, but Eagle Mountain trimmed Decatur’s lead to 1 (7-6), forcing coach Stormi Snider to stop play. Decatur’s offense then sparked an 8-5 run to claim the win in five sets, 20-25, 25-16, 20-25, 25-22, 15-11.
Decatur (25-13) finished 12-2 in district play in Snider’s first season, and stretched the team’s league title streak to five dating back to Foerster’s first season with the Lady Eagles in 2020.
“This was the type of match we needed going into the playoffs,” Snider said. “We’ve been pushing in practice because we knew it was going to be a battle coming here, especially after being them at our place. The atmosphere and energy on the court were electric, and it’s exactly what we needed to shift our momentum into the playoffs and get going.”
Decatur setter Peyton Dickson battles Eagle Mountain’s Brooke Lacewell at the net in the Lady Eagles’ District 7-4A finale win Tuesday, 20-25, 25-16, 20-25, 25-22, 15-11. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
With the league title in hand, Decatur will advance to the first-ever 4A Division I bracket. According to Snider, the Lady Eagles will play either Fort Worth Carter-Riverside or Fort Worth Southwest in a first-round matchup next week. Date and time were not confirmed by the Messenger’s deadline.
“These girls remember what it feels like to lose in the playoffs with big expectations, and I had that feeling [with Ponder],” Snider said. “We’re working together to make sure none of us feel that this year. They are putting in the work and extra reps, as well as the adjustments, changing and overall mentality of pushing into playoffs to go on a deep run.”
Tied at 12 in the first set, Decatur could not match Eagle Mountain’s offensive firepower, as the Lady Knights broke loose with a 13-8 final push to take a 1-0 lead.
In the second frame, Eagle Mountain took a commanding 7-2 lead, forcing Snider to call timeout. Out of the break, the Lady Eagles fought back to tie the frame at 11 and never looked back, closing out the set with a 14-5 attack.
Decatur libero Aubrie Duncan recorded a team-high 23 digs in the Lady Eagles District 7-4A championship-clinching win over Eagle Mountain Tuesday. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
The Lady Eagles could not find their offensive footing in set 3. After taking a 2-1 lead, Decatur quickly fell behind by 4 (8-4), causing Snider to burn a timeout. Decatur cut Eagle Mountain’s lead to 1 twice (10-9, 14-13), but the Lady Eagles were unable to regain the lead, resulting in a 5-point loss.
“I really think that sometimes we try to do too much — if someone’s lacking, the girls will try to do that girl’s job, as well as their own,” Snider said. “When we simplify it and do just our own jobs, we are really good. But if we try to do a job and a half or two jobs, we tend to force ourselves into errors. Volleyball is fun, and it’s simple — we get a good pass, we get a good set, we get a good swing, and then we work.”
Despite Eagle Mountain holding a 5-point lead late through the fourth frame (20-15), Decatur used a 7-2 run to tie the frame at 22, and then sparked a 3-0 drive to force a fifth set.
“One of the drills we use in practice is where we’re doing 18 to 21 and we have to find a way to win, and that’s exactly what happened in the fourth set,” Snider said. “We pushed and forced points, and that’s what you have to do to win big ball games.”
Decatur’s Lara Hornsby rises for a kill against Eagle Mountain’s Keoni Williams in the teams’ District 7-4A finale Tuesday at Eagle Mountain High School. Hornsby led Decatur’s offense with 20 kills. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
Lara Hornsby — one of three Lady Eagles remaining from the program’s 2021 4A state championship squad, along with Gracie Trulson and Lilly Lowery — led Decatur’s offense with 20 kills. Lowery and Peyton Dickson added 12 each, while Trulson finished with 10.
“I love that we get to end with a bang in district, but the work’s not done yet,” Hornsby said. “We still have to practice and work hard every day, and just remember to take it one game at a time because our main goal is to win state. We’ve played [Eagle Mountain] twice already this year — we knew they wanted to win, and that they were going to bring it. I just really wanted to show them and [Foerster that this is what I’m made of, and also show my team that this is what I can do.”
Decatur tallied seven aces from the serving line. Dickson led the squad with three, while Lowery and Grace Fortune added two each. Additionally, Dickson doled out 25 assists, while Fortune recorded 22.
“It definitely felt like a playoff match,” Dickson said. “We know nothing is ever handed to us, and it gives us the push to want to work harder off the court and in practice to get ready for those playoff games. I think we have a really good team that’s proven we can band together and do some really great things.”
Decatur’s Gracie Trulson and Lilly Lowery team up to block a shot from Eagle Mountain’s Zoe Hawthorne in the Lady Eagles’ 5-set win Tuesday. MICAH MCCARTNEY | WCMESSENGER
Aubrie Duncan served as the Lady Eagles’ defensive pillar, finishing with a team high 23 digs — the lone Decatur player in double digits.
“My main focus was getting the ball up, make it playable and bettering the ball for the hitters to get a good swing and a kill off of it,” Duncan said. “I thought our defense was really good — we were very scrappy tonight and picked up some stuff that we don’t usually pick up.”
Lowery led Decatur in blocks with two. Trulson, Hornsby and Harper Smith recorded one swat each.
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