Memorial needed two years to break through and make the playoffs for the first time, but it has become a fixture since, qualifying in four of the previous five seasons.
Emerson, in only its fourth varsity season, hopes to pursue a similar route, but first it must make that breakthrough appearance.
The Mavericks entered Tuesday with the opportunity to make a statement and move into the top tier of the 11-5A standings, but Memorial reminded them that it would not be easy.
The Warriors jumped on Emerson early in all three games, winning 25-14, 25-15, and 25-11 at Emerson High School.
Memorial improves to 4-1 in 11-5A, maintaining their tie for second place, while the Mavericks fall to 2-3.
Emerson led only once throughout the night, when it scored the first point of the second set.
Down two sets, the Mavericks were trying to turn the course of the night in Game 3, and they were within 4-3 after Gracie Bisbee’s kill.
However, the Warriors remained strong at the net, with blocks from Samantha Everidge, Tori Bailey, and Aubrey Axtell, and Addison Childers scored as part of a five-point service run to take a 13-6 lead.
With a chance to win it, Memorial put the pressure on, with Julianna Hernandez running four points behind the service line to establish a double-digit lead, Faith Roulston-Aliu blocking and killing, and Everidge finishing with a kill off the block on match point.
Roulston-Aliu led the match with 10 kills and two blocks, while Everidge had six kills and three blocks.
The Warriors set the tone right on, with Brooklin Brown opening the scoring with a kill and Hernandez following with a pair of aces to secure an early lead.
Emerson attempted to respond, with Izabelle Bucholz recording a kill and a block and Mia McCall adding a kill to get within 7-5.
Everidge led the way early with three kills, and Roulston-Aliu finished it out with five kills in the last stages, while Bailey added one of her own to seal the 25-14 opening-game victory.
The second game was competitive early, with McCall’s kill tying it at 4-4.
Ava Funderbunk’s back-to-back aces gave Memorial momentum, and Bailey’s block made it 10-6.
The Warriors continued to spread the ball about, with kills from Roulston-Aliu and Cailin McNamara increasing the lead to 17-11.
Memorial was content to trade from there, with points from Roulston-Aliu, Brown, and Everidge, before McNamara sealed the Game 2 victory.
The Warriors will get a fair chance to evaluate how they stack up against the best in the state on Friday when they travel to Liberty, the No. 1 team in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Class 5A poll, while Emerson will try to rebound with a tough match at Centennial.
