Austin American Statesman - Posted: 3:51 p.m.

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Benson to lead Bowie's volleyball and girls basketball

programs

Ashley Landis
Vickie Benson coaches Bowie during a 2014 basketball game against Anderson. Benson will also
be the high school's volleyball coach during the 2014-15 school year.
By Danny Davis
Austin ISD athletic director Leal Anderson and Bowie athletic coordinator Jeff Ables both
confirmed on Thursday that Vickie Benson will be the high school's interim head coach for the
2014 volleyball season. A former assistant coach within the volleyball program, Benson will
succeed Jason Landers, who passed away on June 16 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Benson has served as the head girls basketball coach at Bowie for the past four seasons, and she
will retain that position this winter. Games for the 2014-15 basketball season can be first played
on Nov. 10, and the first day that the University Interscholastic League allows practices is on
Oct. 22. The UIL's volleyball playoffs open over the first week of November, and the
organization's annual state tournament will be held in Garland from Nov. 20-22.
Ables said that he didn't think there would be a problem with the overlapping schedules.
"This was a 'we' call," Ables said. "We thought about it and looked at it. It's the best thing for the
program and the kids. We'll open it back up after the season."
The Lady Dawgs reached the first round of the Class 5A playoffs in 2013. The program's four
all-district honorees - outside hitters Kellen Dunn and Sydney James, libero Alicia Morales and
setter Shelby Johnson - were all underclassmen last season.

Austin American Statesman - Posted: 12:11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2014

Volleyball: District 14-6A preview

BOWIE
Coach: Vickie Benson
2013 record: 11-15
2013 postseason: Lost to Round Rock in first round
2014 projected finish: 4th
Key returnees: S Shelby Johnson, Jr.; OH Kellen Dunn, Sr.; OH Sydney James, Sr.
Top losses: none listed
On the Bulldogs: Its going to be an emotional year for the Bulldogs volleyball program.
Beloved head coach Jason Landers died on June 16 at the age of 42. Vickie Benson will take
over the volleyball program that returns two all-district players in junior setter Shelby Johnson
and senior outside hitter Kellen Dunn.
10 PLAYERS TO WATCH
S: Corey Cable, Sr., Lake Travis
S: Kathryn Wristen, Sr., Hays
MB: Jesse Turner, Sr., Westlake
MB: Michelle Williams, So., Del Valle
OH: Michelle Irvin, Sr., Westlake
OH: Leah Mulkey, Jr., Lake Travis
OH: Caroline Scrafford, Jr., Lake Travis
OH: Madison Borowski, Sr., Westlake

OH: Kellen Dunn, Sr., Bowie

L: Madison McCauley, Jr., Hays

Bowie 3, Wimberley 0
Monday August 11, 2014 7:00pm
Wimberley
Bowie

1 2 3 4 5 Final
15 20 22
0
25 25 25
3

Highlights
Wimberley: Kills: Smith 7. Assists: Gage 7. Digs: Adams 7. Blocks: Smith 2.5. Aces: Fergeson
3. Record: 0-1.
Bowie: Kills: Dunn 12. Assists: Bianco 28. Digs: Dunn 14. Blocks: Crosley 2. Aces: Dunn 3.
Record: 1-0.

Bowie 3, Lake Travis 2 - Final

Tuesday August 26, 2014 6:30pm
Lake Travis
Bowie

1 2 3 4 5 Final
25 26 27 19 12
2
23 28 25 25 15
3

Highlights
Lake Travis: Kills: Mulkey 19. Assists: Beier 25. Digs: Ansari 29. Blocks: Balezendtis 4.5.
Record: 11-7.
Bowie: Kills: Dunn 17. Assists: Bianco 36. Digs: Dunn 28. Blocks: Crosley 2.5. Aces: James 2.
Record: 15-6.
WESTLAKE 3, BOWIE 1

Volleyball: Westlake holds off tenacious Bowie

By Michael Adams
Austin American-Statesman Community Staf

The Westlake Chaparrals (24-4, 2-0 District 14-6A) got quite the scare from a tenacious Bowie
team Wednesday night.
Westlake fought off the persistent Bulldogs to take the match in four sets, 25-13, 21-25, 25-19,
25-23 in front of a near packed house at Bowie.
The match was rescheduled from Tuesday night due to the air-conditioning unit being out in the
gymnasium at Bowie High School.
We lost our composure several times, said Westlake head coach Al Bennett. The big thing is
we werent getting the kills we needed. We got back from giving up a big lead in the second set
and come back and tie and then go on an error binge.
Westlake didnt start off out of composure and jumped out to a 10-3 lead thanks in part to four
kills from senior Michelle Irvin.
Irvin had five for the set, but down the stretch senior middle blocker Jesse Turner and junior
Taylor Flaherty proved too much for Bowie (22-9, 1-1).
Turner had four kills as the Chaparrals cruised to win the set 25-13.
Bowie senior outside hitter Kellen Dunn put on a serving clinic to start the second set and had
four aces in a 7-0 run to put the Bulldogs up 7-2.
Westlake tied the set at 13, but that would be as close as the Chaparrals could get as the serving
clinic continued with two more aces from freshman Sabrina Blanco.
The Bulldogs scored the final three points of the set on an ace from senior Dana Neal, a kill from
senior Kennedy Godsey and a set-winning kill from Dunn.
Bowie had seven total aces in the second set.
The big thing was (Dunn) was making us move, Bennett said. The ball wasnt right to us;
she caught Michelle (Irvin) a few times not being able to use her hands and Claire (Hahn),
who has been the MVP of the last couple of tournaments, struggled with her service receive
immensely. She just served the ball tough and we werent adjusting well to it.
Westlake played in control much of the third set as Turner kept her rampage going, picking up
five of her match-high 15 kills.
Westlake never trailed after losing the opening point of the set and won the set on a kill from
setter Madison Borowski.

Bowies tenacity wasnt going to let the Chaps off that easy.
Westlake led from the opening point until Dunn picked up her fifth and sixth ace of the match
on back-to-back points to tie the game at 13.
The Bulldogs took the lead and held it until the Chaparrals tied the set at 20 on an error.
Dunn had two kills in the final trade off of points and another one from Eden Kasprak tied the
set at 23.
Borowski set up match point with her third kill of the match and a Bowie error allowed the
Chaparrals to get out with the win.
Bennett said after the game that senior outside hitter Aubrey Hinners suffered a hand injury to
her hitting hand, but didnt know the extent of how serious it was.
Westlake will host Akins Friday and then Anderson on Sept. 9. Both matches are scheduled for
6:30 p.m.

Bowie 3, Del Valle 0 - Final

Friday September 5, 2014 6:30pm
Bowie
Del Valle

1 2 3 4 5 Final
25 25 25
3
18 15 19
0

Highlights
Bowie: Kills: Crosley 10. Assists: Bianco 21. Digs: Dunn 17. Blocks: Crosley 1.5. Aces: James
3. Record: 23-9 (2-1).
Del Valle: Kills: Williams 6. Assists: Guerrero 12. Digs: Armendariz 7, Guerrero 7. Blocks:
Williams 2, Wilson 2, Baker 2. Aces: Guerrero 3. Record: 6-14 (0-2).

Bowie 3, Akins 1 - Final

Bowie
Akins

Overall: 12-0
Overall: 1-8

Conference: 0-0
Conference: 0-0

Tuesday September 16, 2014 6:30pm

1 2 3 4 5 Final
Bowie 25 20 25 25
3
Akins 16 25 9 9
1
Highlights

Bowie: Kills: Dunn 10 Assists: Bianco 26. Digs: Dunn 1. Blocks: Godsey 1. Aces: James 6.
Record: 24-9, 4-1.
Akins: Holder 11. Assists: Mercado 15. Digs: Alvarado 6. Blocks: Stewart 1. Aces: Stewart 4.
Record: 11-18, 1-5.

Mum was the word prior to big game

Coaches stayed quiet leading up to showdown between two
rivals.
By Michael Adams
Austin American-Statesman Community Staf

You have to give Westlake head coach Al Bennet and Lake Travis head coach Jennifer
Kazmierski credit. Neither has talked much about their head-to-head showdown on Tuesday
prior to the game.
Id venture to assume, however, that its been in the back of each coachs mind once tournament
season was over.
I tried to get Kazmierski to budge on Sept. 9 after the Cavaliers demolished Anderson in less
than an hour. She deferred comment until her team got done with Hays and Austin High in the
two games after.

The Cavaliers were off this past Friday and havent played since beating Austin High in quick
fashion Sept. 16.
Westlake has had the same three opponents leading up to the game but were on the road for the
last two games. The only interaction Ive had with Bennett in that time was walking to my car
after the Westlake football game with Anderson on Sept. 12, when he also deferred comment.
Lets face it; outside of either team, who is going to challenge the other one for the district
championships besides each other?
Like Ive said before, the road to the district title goes through Westlake, and both coaches are
aware of that even if they wont talk about it.
Bowie has emerged as a threat behind senior outside hitter Kellen Dunn and a lot of extra
emotion from the death of their beloved coach Jason Landers this summer. Dunn has been one of
the more impressive players Ive seen this season. Shes very talented, and Id put her in the
upper echelon of outside hitters in District 14-6A, if not Central Texas.
The Bulldogs defeated Lake Travis Aug. 26 in five sets at Bowie High School - a place thats
hard to play in for any team. Want proof? Bowie took Westlake to four sets on the same court on
Sept. 2. Last year at Bowie, the Bulldogs lost to Lake Travis in five sets.
Bowie has to come to Westlake and Lake Travis in the second round of the district schedule, so
we shall see if the Bulldogs are still a threat.
In the meantime, Tuesdays game had the potential to really make things interesting in District
14-6A.
If Lake Travis wins, it will created a three way tie going into the second round of district play
between the Bulldogs, Westlake and Lake Travis. The Cavs would have both Westlake and
Bowie coming into Cavalier Gymnasium in the second round.
If Westlake wins, the Cavaliers will fall to third and Bowie would be one game behind Westlake
in the standings.
The actual second round doesnt start until next week, but Westlake, with the win, will finish the
first round at a perfect 8-0 since they have a bye Friday.
In essence, a win Tuesday would have meant more to Lake Travis than it did Westlake as far as
the district race goes because falling two games behind the Chaps takes control of their destiny
out of the Cavaliers hands.

After all, the road to the district championship for the Cavaliers starts tonight in Westlake, and
ends on Oct. 24 at Lake Travis.