Sulphur Springs, Texas -- The Leonard Lady Tigers defeated Quitman, Sulphur Bluff and Como-Pickton to go 3-0 in pool play at the North Hopkins Volleyball Tournament.

Leonard got off to a fast start with a sweep of Quitman, 25-15 and 25-16. Bella Neaville led the Lady Tigers with eight kills, Leah Stoy was close behind with seven kills, Avery Ross finished with four kills, while Madison Jones and Riley Brown put down a pair of kills apiece. Ava Flowers directed the offense with 23 assists. Emma House got under a team-high eight digs and Olivia Aylor came up with five digs.

The Lady Tigers slipped by a tough Sulphur Bluff squad, 2-1, in the second match of the day. Leonard took the opener, 25-17, but it was Sulphur Bluff with an exciting 26-24 victory in the second set. In the third and deciding set, Leonard and the hometown Sulphur Bluff Lady Bears battled to a 24-24 tie before Leonard knocked down the next two points for a wild 26-24 win to take the match. Leah Stoy knocked down a dozen kills, Bella Neaville had seven kills, Madison Jones put down five kills, Riley Brown finished with four kills, Olivia Aylor had three kills, with Cara Barlagne and Ashlynn Cavender contributing one kill apiece. Ava Flowers dished out 30 assists to go along with her three aces. Emma Houser came up with seven digs and Jasper Cunningham got under one dig.

The third set was another battle royale with Leonard turning back Como-Pickton, 2-1. Leonard posted a 25-16 win in the first set only to watch Como-Pickton hold on for a 30-28 win in the second set. In the third set, it was Leonard with a two-point win, 25-23. Leah Stoy slammed down 13 kills, Bella Neaville knocked down a dozen kills, Madison Jones had six kills, Ashlynn Cavender finished with four kills, while Ava Flowers and Riley Brown each had one kill. Emma Houser had six digs and three aces. Olivia Aylor finished with five digs and an ace.

The Leonard Lady Tigers (10-1) will host Wolfe City on Friday and then return to the Sulphur Bluff Tournament on Saturday.