Cmajdalka leading Consol into playoffs

Hayley Cmajdalka spent her early years in volleyball around the fringe. For a while she split time between another sport, and last season she was a reserve on A&M Consolidated's veteran varsity team.

She's in the middle of things now.

The 6-foot-2 junior middle blocker has emerged as one of the leading hitters on the Consolidated team that won the District 12-5A championship and will open the Class 5A state playoffs Tuesday. The Lady Tigers (32-10) will face North Mesquite (13-26) in a bi-district match in Fairfield at 6 p.m.

Cmajdalka played for the Consol team that reached the third round last season, but she will carry a much more prominent role this year. She has developed into a college prospect and one of the Lady Tigers' most reliable attackers, making huge strides over the last three years.

"I didn't start playing club [volleyball] until my high school years, so a lot of the girls had more experience than I had," Cmajdalka said. "I wasn't really that strong my freshman year. I worked hard and then I started club because I had more time, and that helped."

When she began high school, Cmajdalka chose volleyball over tennis, her second-favorite sport. Consol volleyball coach Cydryce McMillian agrees with that decision, and with Cmajdalka's choice to pay her dues on the varsity last season rather than asking to be placed on the JV team in order to get more playing time.

Cmajdalka spent her sophomore season battling in practice against a pair of college prospects in senior middle blockers Julia Westerbur and Erika Arthur. McMillian calls it Cmajdalka's year in training.

"I knew she had a lot of athleticism and a lot of potential," McMillian said. "We had veterans in the middle, so I thought putting her at the varsity level would be the best thing for her so she'd be ready to go her junior year. It really panned out. She has turned out to be great."

Consol's usual starting lineup includes three juniors -- outside hitter Jessica Wagner, setter Jordyn Slocum and Cmajdalka -- along with sophomore outside hitter Jordan Dickson and sophomore middle blocker Kaycey Cermin. Cmajdalka and Slocum have formed a productive bond, one that pays when Cmajdalka attempts a slide attack that requires running parallel to the net. The play requires extra timing and can be very difficult to defend.

"They played on the same club (Brazos Valley Juniors) this year and you can definitely see the connection they have developed," McMillian said. "It's a good combination."

NOTES -- The winner between Consol and North Mesquite will advance to the area round to face either Richardson or Garland Sachse. Richardson was second in 9-5A and Sachse finished third in 10-5A. ... North Mesquite is the No. 4 seed from 11-5A. The Lady Stallions tied Longview for fourth at 3-7 in league play, then won a playoff match in four games Friday. ... North Mesquite beat Bryan at bi-district in each of the last two years. Consol defeated North Mesquite 29-27, 25-17, 25-14 in 2008 when the Lady Tigers reached the Region II semifinals. ... Consol made the third round last season after two years in the regional tournament.