Tiger Volleyball scrimmages set table for opener against McNeil

August 14, 2025

By Tony Adams,

Belton Journal

The Belton Tigers Volleyball team began their 2025 season over the past two weeks with a pair of strong scrimmages this past weekend in Robinson and Round Rock.

On Friday, the Tigers traveled to Robinson High School as they took on the Rockets and Midway Pantherettes. The Tigers first played the Pantherettes, and it was an extremely talented Midway group that played Belton extremely tough.

In the second matchup, the Tigers played the Rockets extremely well and built momentum for Saturday’s scrimmages.

On Saturday, Belton traveled to Cedar Ridge High School in Round Rock to take on the Raiders, Round Rock Christian Academy, and Lorena.

In the opener against the Raiders, it took the Tigers some time to combat the experienced Cedar Ridge squad. The switch flipped on 25 minutes into the 45-minute session, and things began to click for the Tigers. Shots were landing over the net in empty Cedar Ridge spots, and the serves sent the Raiders scurrying for answers.

The next matchup was against Round Rock Christian. The Tigers were in sync through the entire period and dominated the scrimmage with crisp passing, exceptional net play, and a solid backline performance.

The third matchup against Lorena was more evenly played, with each team holding short waves of momentum. In the end, the Tigers played excellent volleyball and set themselves up for Tuesday night’s home opener against Round Rock McNeil.

The Tigers were rested following the weekend and received the Lady Mavericks’ best challenge. McNeil, after falling in the opening game, fought off seven Belton game points before the Tigers obtained the last two points and outlasted the Lady Mavericks in the final game for the sweep.

The scores of the match were 25-15, 26-24, and 25-15.

“At times, we were out of system, but still making plays,” Belton head coach Haleigh Johnson said. “The right side really stood out for us. Malu Pula and Taylor Collins did really well in their first varsity game. Every time they went up for the ball, they came down with a kill. Our outside hitters were also solid tonight. It was an all-around team effort.”

Belton set the tone early with a 13-3 lead in the first game, with back-to-back aces by Kaitlyn McCracken and Ella Tucek. CJ Stites had three kills in the opening game, and Miley Davila had three digs as the Tigers held on to win by ten points in the opener.

The Tigers opened a seven-point lead in game two and were poised to close out the game when the Lady Mavericks battled past seven Belton game points to tie the game at 24-24. Collins and Pula registered kills to close out the game and give the Tigers a 2-0 lead in the match.

“Honestly, it came down to a serve-and-receive game. We got in our own heads a bit,” Stites said. “We calmed down and concentrated on the one pass. Once we concentrated on that, we passed the ball around, and went from there.”

Belton started game three with a five-point advantage that McNeil closed to two points. The Tigers used a 15-7 stretch to close out the match.