Bushland will defend state crown after sweeping Ponder in UIL Class 3A Division I state semifinals

In what has become more of a yearly tradition, the Bushland Lady Falcons will once again make the trip to Garland for a sixth straight year after downing Ponder in a UIL Class 3A Division I state semifinal Tuesday night in Colorado City.

Like they have throughout the playoffs, the Lady Falcons controlled the match overpowering Ponder in straight sets, 25-20, 25-20, 25-21, to get back to the state championship game.

Bushland, which has won 25 straight matches and 12 straight postseason games, will not only try and defend its state crown from last year but the Lady Falcons will also chase their fourth title in the past five years and the eighth state championship since the doors opened in 2006.

“It never gets old to experience going to the state championship,” said Bushland head coach Jason Culpepper, who has won three state titles with the Lady Falcons. “We have senior leaders that do a great job and deserve this. This is the 13th trip for this program to play for a state title. It just shows you how dedicated all these players past or present are and how committed they are to being the best. We had a ton of fans on hand to cheer us on and it was just a special night.”

Bushland (44-4) is now set to take on Goliad in the UIL Class 3A Division I state title game at 2 p.m. Friday at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland. Goliad (41-5) swept Grandview in its semifinal Tuesday night, 25-19, 25-18, 25-17.

Bushland took command in the first set with a 25-20 victory. The Lady Falcons then were tested by Ponder (37-6) falling behind four points in the second set, however, rallied back for another 25-20 victory. In the third, the Lady Falcons were able to keep the Lady Lions at an arm’s length to go on for the sweep.

Senior Mackenzie Sims, last year’s state tournament MVP, had an outstanding night with 20 assists and eight kills, and was excellent on defense with 21 digs for a double-double. Aver Ramos followed with 20 digs as did Ansley Tiffin with 15 assists.

Bushland had a superb offensive night from Ambree Hatfield with a team-high 12 kills with LilyAnn Shannon knocking down nine. Bella Babbitt chipped in with eight.

“Ponder was a tough team,” Culpepper said. “Anyone you play in a state semifinal is going to be. “We played hard and stayed together the entire way. We trailed for a bit in the second set. We were missing some serves and had to get settled down. We finally minimized those mistakes and got things going forward to start chipping away. The seniors all stepped up and we had a great team effort all the way around.”