Photo credit: Richard Bratcher

Pilot Point middle blocker Meredith Larson (4) tries to block a kill attempt by Prairiland senior Kelti Mowery (20), while a trio of Lady Patriot teammates provide backup. Prairiland swept the bi-district match at Bonham High School's Warrior Gymnasium and advances to next week's third round of play where it faces either Aubrey or Bells.

“They’re coming after you!”

The Lady Patriots had two choices – cave in and allow Pilot Point to extend the match to a pivotal Game 4 or put the finishing touches on a sweep. They chose the latter and used grit and determination to pull out the tough final game and leave Warrior Gymnasium with a 25-20, 25-21, 27-25 win.

Prairiland (32-10) advances to play the winner of Aubrey and Bells either Monday or Tuesday at a site to be determined, but Royse City has been mentioned as a possible location. Aubrey and Bells play at 7 p.m. Saturday at Whitesboro High School.

“We had a couple of lulls in Game 2 and at the end of the third game, but the girls showed character on both occasions and kept fighting back,” Oats said. “They showed a lot of heart.”

Four Taylor Skidmore kills and three Courtney Daniel assists still weren’t enough to pull the Lady Pats away, and a net error allowed them to escape on game point. They finally found the hot hand, with Kelsey Klingler (10 assists) setting up Sara Beth Upchurch for three straight kills, including a pair of nicely-placed crosses to clinch the match.

“We all played well and came together as a team,” said Skidmore, who finished with eight kills and four blocks. “Sara Beth went down, and Kelty stuck it out despite her bad back and helped us get back on top after a rough start to the second game.”

The Lady Patriots scored the first point in all three games, including the first, and Jenniffer Justice’s kill provided an early 5-3 advantage. Pilot Point later took a brief 15-14 lead, and the teams were tied eight times, including 17-17 until Prairiland eventually pulled away for good.

"Both teams had no quit in them, and we were able to pull it out in the end," Justice said. "We played better than we have in awhile, had fun and backed each other up."

Kelti Mowery (11 kills, 19 digs) served four of her 11 service points, and Klingler added an ace before Skidmore assisted Upchurch for game point and boomed an ace for the five-point win.

“When somebody was on, we kept giving them the ball while at the same time trying to change the pace of the match when we could,” Mowery said. “It was very important to keep our spirits up, and we were able to do it.”

Game 2 was a different story early, with the Lady Cats (18-22) jumping out to a 6-1 lead on five points and three aces from outside hitter Cameryn Weitzel, who finished the match with 15 digs.

Prairiland periodically chipped away at the deficit, and Mowery caught fire with four kills to keep the game close. The Lady Pats pulled within four points, when Upchurch (seven kills) landed awkwardly on her ankle and fortunately for the team came back later in the game with no serious complications.

The teams were tied four more times until Daniel (nine assists) served a pair of aces along with a kill from Brittany Black (four kills) and another from Kaylee Oats to capture the all-important second game.

Mowery again had the hot hand in Game 3 with three kills, and Skidmore contributed both at the net and the service line for a 14-8 lead.

Pilot Point performed the same way it had all evening by keeping the game close with defender Kacey Kinney (nine digs), who abandoned her usual jump serve. Watson’s ace led to a 17-17 tie, forcing Oats to challenge his players.

Not that there weren’t already obstacles standing in the Lady Pats’ way, with five injured players throughout the course of the season.

The list included Upchurch, Mowery, who missed 2 ½ matches with a bad back she had to have worked on during Game 3 and libero Payton Connot, who had a solid night defensively for the Lady Pats.

Weitzel and Watson each finished with eight kills and eight service points, and Leigh Vest had 28 assists for the Lady Cats. Rachel Fritz added seven kills, 25 digs and six service points.

“I don’t think we were blocking well at all,” Pilot Point coach Becky Phillips said. “We missed a lot of serves but didn’t really have a lot of hitting errors. Prairiland played well defensively, and we seemed to be nervous and playing not to lose. This was a good group, and the girls got a lot better adjusting to a new system. Volleyball is definitely a harder game to play than it looks.”

Playoff success has long been a staple for the Prairiland program even before Oats and assistant Mendy Cole began leading the team.

Mowery, Skidmore and Justice are the three seniors who know each match could be their last.

“We have four or five girls on this team who know our tradition, but eight more who hadn’t been to the playoffs,” Oats said. “We had four sophomores and two juniors out there at times, and although they didn’t have the experience of the other girls, they stepped up and performed well.”