HONAKER (Sept. 29, 2026) – The Lady Tigers dropped Tuesday’s match to Rural Retreat 3-1 at A.P. Baldwin Gymnasium, 23-25, 18-25, 25-18, 23-25. It was the Honaker girls’ sixth straight loss and the Indians’ first Hogoheegee District win.
The 2026 season has been a struggle for both teams. Each team entered with one win. Honaker (1-12, 0-3 HOGO) defeated Castlewood, and Rural Retreat (2-10, 1-2 HOGO) bested Fort Chiswell.
“This is a big road win for us,” Rural Retreat coach Brittany Sage said. “We’ve been on the struggle bus because of injuries and other issues. We haven’t been able to play a consistent rotation yet this year. We’ve had a new rotation every night we’ve played, so the girls have had to work hard and step up. Even tonight, we were down an outside hitter and a libero, so people stepped into positions that aren’t normally theirs. I’m proud of my team for filling those roles. We definitely needed this win. We needed it in the win column to give us a boost of confidence heading into more district play.”
Honaker’s Cadence Rose hammered a kill to tie the first set at 23 for the ninth time. Two attack errors by Honaker gave the set to the Indians. Rural Retreat scored the first three points of set two and was never tied or trailed, going up 2-0 in the game.
“Those little mistakes have been game changers for us,” declared Honaker coach Lindsey Miller Marshall. “If we can fix them, I think we’ll be all right. The girls have got to keep their heads up and keep working. We’ve still got a lot of talent, and we’re just scratching the surface right now. I know we can get there. They’ve got to keep their heads down, work hard, and want it.”
The third set was tied five times before the Tigers took the lead for good at 9-8 on a block by JuJu Farmer. Honaker then pulled away to close within 2-1 in the match.
“We struggle at times right now because we have more people playing across the board than we normally do,” noted Sage. “We get a little more tired than we should. That’s not an excuse. It’s definitely something we need to work on, and it’s on my agenda. We can’t be a two-and-done team. We’ve got to be a three-and-done team.”
The fourth set was back-and-forth. Honaker went up 21-18, but it wasn’t enough. The Indians then took the next four points to tie it at 21. The score was tied at 22 and 23. Rural Retreat rallied for the final two points to win the game.
“It was tight. We’ve been working on those games to five in practice,” Sage stated. “We’re constantly putting ourselves in situations where we’re down by two and have to fight back to win. That’s another item on our schedule. If we’re down, we’re not done. We need to keep pushing and moving forward.”
The Tigers suffered another tough loss but battled until the final point.
“That’s all I asked of them. I told them to fight for every point, and that’s exactly what they did tonight,” commented Marshall. “We’ve come a long way this season. I know it may not look that way to some people, but these girls have worked hard. Tonight was another sign of progress. They’re playing hard and competing to 25 every night.”
The Tigers have nearly won multiple games but haven’t been able to get over the hump.
“Confidence is a big issue, especially with my younger players,” remarked Marshall. “We get rattled pretty easily, and I’m hoping that will improve with time and experience. I know they’ll get there. I tell them every night that I wouldn’t put them out there if I didn’t think they could do it. We’ve just got to get them to believe it themselves.”
Mazzie Fontaine led a balanced Indian attack with eight kills. Ada Childress added six kills, and Grace Watkins and Raelyn Morris each contributed five kills. Emery Sage was the difference maker with 25 assists and 14 service points, including two aces and two kills.
Rose led the Tigers with 11 kills, and Farmer added three.
