TEXARKANA, Texas - There is no substitute for experience.
A young Texas High squad fell to North Lamar in straight sets, 25-15, 25-21, and 25-20 at the Tiger Center on Tuesday.
"We have to work on our blocking as well as our reading on defense," Lady Tiger head coach Melissa Hardy said. "We have a lot to work on. We are young and inexperienced. It will take us a while to get there, but we will."
Texas High committed 41 unforced errors, while the Pantherettes had 25.
North Lamar was in control of the third set, and the Tigers never took a lead. The closest that Texas High got was to a three-point deficit at 20-17. The Pantherettes' largest lead in the set was at 18-10.
Behind the serving of Ashlyn Stiger, Texas High scored four consecutive to close the gap, 18-13. Olivia Lower smashed a kill down the right baseline to make it a four-point affair, 18-14.
The Tigers worked hard to get within three but lost traction in the third set.
The beginning of the first set was closely contested with ties at 3, 4, 6, and 7-all. But the Pantherettes started to pull away after three consecutive Tiger hitting errors to make it 13-8.
North Lamar rattled off four straight to take a 17-9 edge. Texas High could only manage to close the deficit to seven points and never recovered. The Tigers made 15 unforced errors, while the Pantherettes committed seven.
After ties at 3 and 4-all, North Lamar got out to a 3-point lead and kept it until Texas High crept back to knot it at 10-all.
Stiger put down a kill, and the Pantherettes committed a hitting error as the second set was tied for a final time at 12-all.
North Lamar put together a 5-0 run to take a 22-15 lead. Texas High battled back with four straight to trail 24-21. But the Tigers had a hitting error to end the set.
Texas High committed 11 unforced errors in the second set, and the Pantherettes had eight.
Lower put down 11 kills and 14 digs for Texas High, while teammate Valeria Perez had 15 digs and served in 11 points.
Ashanti Northcross had 15 digs and served in a team-high 13 points for the Tigers. Texas High's Stiger had seven kills to go with four blocks and 10 digs.
Alex Reed slapped in 14 service points and teammate Olivia Huckabee added 12, but the Tigers fell to the Pantherettes in the junior varsity match, 20-25, 25-16, 25-11.
Olivia Huckabee served in 17 points for Texas High's ninth grade, but the Tigers fell, 25-21, 24-26, 25-22.
Kiara Martin had 14 service points, Hannah Kessler had 11, and Anna Shultz contributed 10 service points for Texas High.