Lampasas seniors Laura Leavell (13) and Kendal Conner (3) force Shoemaker captain Hailee Showers to go for a finesse shot over their outstretched arms instead of attempting a powerful kill through their blocks. PHOTOS BY RICHARD AKRIDGE It is impossible to begin 2010 without the numbers 2-0.

With only four returning players on their roster, the Lady Badgers got their season off to a perfect start by beating Manor and Shoemaker in straight sets Tuesday.

Despite introducing nine new faces to the highly competitive and talented world of varsity volleyball, Lampasas emerged from its home dual match as the only unscathed squad.

While returners Hailey Morrison, Kendal Conner, Madison Morris and Mariah Jones anchored the performance, Lady Badgers head coach Beth Rutland was excited about her newcomers’ output.

“After they got over their first set of jitters, I was really impressed,” the second-year coach said. “They really did a good job.”

Hailey Morrison, center, prepares to make a bump while freshman libero Darien Williams (11) watches on. Although the roster has been drastically revamped, Rutland believes the chemistry and cohesion of the team is the best it has been under her tenure.

“I really didn’t feel like we had down moments,” Rutland said. “There were times last year when you could see [despair] on our faces, and I felt like they really fought to not let that happen tonight.

“My leaders did a good job of stepping up, and the kids around them are responding.”

Nevertheless, the Lady Badgers faced their share of adversity on opening night.

In the first match against Manor, a slow start sank Lampasas into a sixpoint deficit at 15-9, but a series of strong serves from Morris helped the Lady Badgers score seven consecutive points to take a 16-15 lead.

After exchanging scores, the Lady Mustangs were within a point of earning a first-set victory at 24-23 before Lampasas rallied to add three straight points, claiming the set on Conner’s tap over the net.

With momentum on their side, the Lady Badgers cruised to an 18-6 lead in the second set en route to a 25-15 victory.

Another slow start in the third set left Lampasas staring up from a 5-0 hole, but the team rebounded quickly and knotted the score at 11-11 before it earned the straight-set victory with a 14-3 run, including 10 unanswered points, to close out Class 4A Manor 26-24, 25-15, 25-14.

Once the match was over, Manor and Shoemaker took to the court and competed in a five-set battle.

Down two sets, the Lady Grey Wolves fought back to force a deciding set, but they could not overcome a 10-point deficit in the fifth. Shoemaker lost the match 25- 19, 25-23, 8-25, 22-25, 15-12.

While the lengthy match kept Lampasas on the sidelines for almost two hours, Rutland was certain it had an even greater effect on Shoemaker, which was given a brief break before playing the host team.

“I knew Shoemaker would come into [our match] a little tired because that is a tough turnaround,” the coach said. “But I was happy that my team had time to relax.

“It was a long break, but I felt like [we] were a little more focused than in the first game against Manor.”

The squads played to a 20-20 tie in the first set, but senior Morris blocked a Shoemaker kill attempt before delivering an emphatic goahead score.

Once Lampasas held serve, junior Tealey Farquhar produced four consecutive aces to give the Lady Badgers a 25-20 first-set victory.

“She started pounding it, and I was really proud of her serving with confidence at the end of the game,” Rutland said of the first-year varsity player. “That’s big.”

In the match’s second set, outside hitter Morrison injected her team with energy through her hustle plays.

The junior put Lampasas up by three points, 18-15, with a running kill across her body from out of bounds. Moments later, she had a diving dig that lead to a Lady Badger point and forced Shoemaker, down 22-18, to call a timeout.

“She’s really taking a lot of ownership [of the team],” Rutland said. “She is always into the game. I see her encouraging other players, and if there is something they need to do, she helps them see it.”

The Lady Badgers won the second set 25-20, but Morrison was not done putting her stamp on the contest.

Leading 17-10 in the third set, Morrison recorded a kill and then picked apart the Lady Grey Wolves with her serve, scoring four aces as Lampasas posted seven consecutive points before clinching the victory (25-20, 25-20, 25-13).

“That was exciting,” Rutland said of Morrison’s late-match serving. “For the most part, [as a team] when they had to go make a serve, they did.”

Lampasas looks to continue its winning ways this weekend at the Clifton Invitational Volleyball Tournament.

The Lady Badgers opened the tournament Thursday with pool-play matches against Hamilton, Lorena and Rio Vista. On Saturday, teams will vie for the championship in a double-elimination bracket-play format.

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Lampasas’ junior varsity team also remains unblemished after its first pair of regular-season matches.

The Lady Badgers earned two straight-set victories by beating Shoemaker 25-15, 25-19 and Manor 25-14, 25-14 at the dual match.

In the evening’s third match, Manor’s JV defeated Shoemaker 27- 25, 25-22.

The Lampasas freshmen were unable to match the success, as the team lost to Shoemaker in straight sets (21-25, 24-26) and Manor in three sets (25-18, 19-25, 15-17).

Shoemaker left Lampasas undefeated with a 25-23, 25-18 victory over Manor.

The Lady Badgers subvarsity teams will not take part in the Clifton tournament. The JV’s next matches will occur at a dual match in Johnson City Tuesday, while the freshmen are off until next Friday, when they take part in the Gatesville tournament.