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HUNTSVILLE -- The A&M Consolidated volleyball team wasn't able to prevent powerful Magnolia from going to the regional tournament, but the Lady Tigers made sure it went there with at least one lingering scar from a tough match.
Magnolia lost a game for the first time in 20 matches, but the 17th-ranked Lady Bulldogs recovered to beat Consol 25-18, 19-25, 25-16, 25-21 in a Class 5A regional quarterfinal match at Johnson Coliseum on Tuesday night.
The Lady Bulldogs improved to 34-7 and earned a spot in the Region II tournament that will start Friday.
Consol, which won District 13-5A and reached the third round of the playoffs for the first time as a 5A program, finished the season at 31-11.
"Despite the outcome, it was a great match seeing two teams battle like that," Consol coach Adam Cornell said. "It's hard to be disappointed, but you're not satisfied about a loss."
Consol stunned Magnolia by winning the second game, and the Lady Tigers were in position to take another when they jumped to a 14-8 lead in the fourth game. However, the Magnolia went on a 7-0 charge that stole the momentum from Consol.
Passing problems plagued the Lady Tigers in a shaky Game 1, and they returned during Magnolia's big run in Game 4. Two service winners by Hannah Davies and three kills by Michelle Williams turned the match back to the Lady Bulldogs.
"Things started to get a little haywire after that big lead got away," Cornell said. "After that, we just never regained focus."
Williams, a 6-foot-1 middle blocker who has signed with LSU, delivered seven of her match-high 18 kills in Game 4.
"She's a great hitter and she finds ways to score," Magnolia coach Terri Johnson said. "Our timing with our other hitters was a little bit off, and she picked up the slack for us."
Consol got a tremendous effort from senior outside hitter Allie Redpath, who led the team with 16 kills and made a few huge digs. The 5-9 Redpath was several inches shorter than almost every Magnolia blocker, but she hit her spots and gave the Lady Tigers a huge lift in the last three games.
"That's the type of kid you want on your team," Cornell said. "Allie never let up. She gave her all, and what more can you ask than that?"
Carli Kolbe had nine kills for Consol while Karla Gilbert added seven kills and a couple of big blocks.
Junior setter Hillary Parker dished out 35 assists despite often being on the run because of Consol's passing problems.
"Hillary's been kind of easy to overlook, but she's done a great job distributing the ball," Cornell said. "She did a good job of leading the team."
In the second game the Lady Tigers stunned mistake-prone Magnolia with a balanced attack. Redpath and Gilbert had three kills apiece while Kolbe and Mimi McFarland each had two as Consol topped the bigger Lady Bulldogs 12-8 in kills.
Magnolia had not lost a game in its previous 19 matches.
"I don't want to say we were shell-shocked, but it was a surprise," Johnson said. "I give [Consol] a lot of credit. You don't get to this point in the playoffs without having a great team."
Consol couldn't maintain the momentum in Game 3. Williams combined with Meagan Little and Hannah Fort, who are both 6-1, for five blocks as Magnolia took command at the net.
• Larry Bowen's e-mail address is larry.bowen@theeagle.com.
