WCS' Luig, Rider trio among standouts in Oil Bowl all-star volleyball matches

Tessa Luig hadn’t played outside hitter since she was in junior high.

The recent Wichita Christian graduate led the Lady Stars to the TAPPS Class A State Tournament as their setter. That’s the same role she played during her first three high school seasons at Notre Dame, helping the Lady Knight’s win a state title in 2019.

However, when Luig submitted her Oil Bowl application, her mother listed outside hitter as Luig’s primary position.

“I didn’t tell (coach Wendy Parker) that when we had practice,” Luig said. “So, I guess I lied about it.”

This little white lie didn’t hurt anybody.

Luig was pivotal in the East All-Stars straight sets victory against the West, 25-20, 25-19, during the Oil Bowl small-school volleyball all-star game Saturday at Rider Fieldhouse. She finished with five kills and nine assists, never leaving the court as a six-rotation player.

Luig sealed the match for the East with a kill down the line.

But funny thing about that kill: Luig couldn’t believe the ball stayed in.

“I actually didn’t hit that ball clean. It came off weird on my hand,” Luig said. “I thought it was definitely going to get blocked or land out of bounds. When they signaled it was in, I couldn’t believe it. I guess that’s what my hitters have always felt like after I set them up. It feels really good.”

Luig was complemented by Bryson’s Windsor Godfrey and Northside’s Brenley Kinney who had five kills each. The West was led by Archer City’s Maddie Lopez who had 10 assists and five digs. Classmate Mallory Maxwell added five kills and three digs.

Maxwell and Lopez became the first athletes to play in more than one sport's all-star game since the Oil Bowl added basketball back to its festivities in 2019. The Archer City duo also played in the girls basketball game. They were added to the roster after two girls failed to show up.

The past 12 months had been crazy for Luig. Last spring, it was announced Notre Dame was closing. Luig felt like she had lost her home, but she found another one at WCS.

“They were very welcoming. They had just lost a great setter in Maddison Harris, so they really needed me to come in and fill that role,” Luig said. “Notre Dame will always be my home, but Wichita Christian became my second home.”

And what better way to end a crazy senior year than to go out an Oil Bowl champion.

“It was such an honor to be selected to play in this,” Luig said. “I’m really glad I got the opportunity to play with some great girls.”

RIDER DUO LEAD WEST TO WIN

It could be seen as a little unfair to put Meghan Lacy and Cameron Chamberlain on the same all-star team.

That duo combined for 16 kills Saturday, leading the West All-Stars to a three-set victory against the East, 25-17, 17-25, 15-13, in the Oil Bowl large-school volleyball all-star match. Lacy finished with 16 kills, while Chamberlain efficiently ran the West offense with 29 assists.

“It took us a little bit to get back into it, but once we got going it felt like old times,” Lacy said of teaming with Chamberlain.

Their Oil Bowl win came at the expense of a fellow Lady Raider. Sadie Portmann was the top attacker for the East, recording 12 kills. But Portmann got her assists from Wichita Falls High’s Lexi Ralston (10 assists) and Holliday’s Morgan Bodde (13 assists).

The East also got six kills from Peaster’s Hannah Barry and five from Holliday’s Payton Murray. Sadie Kabisch had eight digs.

Chamberlain also found a rhythm setting up Henrietta’s Kimora Carter for five kills and Iowa Park’s Dru Witherspoon for six. Taygon Jones led the defense with five digs.

OIL BOWL VOLLEYBALL

SMALL-SCHOOL 

East d. West, 25-20, 25-19 

Standouts – (West) Maddie Lopez kill, 10 assists, 5 digs; Mallory Maxwell 5 kills, 3 digs, block; Megan Adams 4 digs; Traci Berend kill, dig, block; Isabel McKamey, 3 kills, dig, 2 blocks; Abigail Vanbuskirk kill, 2 blocks; Kelly Contreras, 3 digs; (East) Tessa Luig 5 kills, 9 assists, dig, ace; Camry Latham 2 digs; Chandler Clark 3 kills, assist; Windsor Godfrey 5 kills; Natalie Jones kill, assist; Emily Carpenter 2 kills, 3 digs; Brenley Kinney 5 kills; Kinsey Kuehler 2 digs, 3 assists, ace; Audra Nivens 4 assists, dig, ace.

LARGE-SCHOOL 

West d. East, 25-17, 17-25, 15-13 

Standouts – (West) Emma Barnes 3 digs; Riley Braziel 3 kills, dig; Kimora Carter 5 kills, 2 digs, block; Cameron Chamberlain 29 assists, kill, 5 digs; Rachel Grimsley kill, 2 assists, block, 2 digs; Taygon Jones 5 digs; Meghan Lacy 16 kills, dig; Dru Witherspoon 6 kills, assist, 2 blocks; Kelsie Reitsma assist; (East) Hannah Barry 6 kills, block; Tristen Brieden dig; Sadie Kabisch 8 digs; Raegan King dig; Payton Murray 5 kills, 3 blocks, ace; Lexi Ralston 2 kills, 10 assists, dig; Sadie Portmann 12 kills, 3 digs; Skylar Rivers 4 kills; Carli White dig; Morgan Bodde 13 assists, 2 digs.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: 2022 Oil Bowl all-star volleyball matches scores