For six months, Emma Halstead feared the worst.

As the number of deaths and positive cases from a deadly novel virus climbed in the United States — and the previous way of life was altered — Halstead and her Brandeis High School volleyball teammates worried they wouldn’t experience the moment that transpired on Saturday.

“We didn’t think we were going to have a season for a little bit,” Halstead said.

With so much about high school athletics seemingly still changing, with games being canceled for COVID-19 precautions, Brandeis made the most of lost time.

The Broncos started and finished strong, sweeping Clark 25-22, 31-29, 25-18 in both teams’ District 28-6A opener at Northside ISD Gym.

Clark suffered its first district loss since falling to O’Connor in five sets on Sept. 15, 2017, snapping a 47-match district winning streak. The streak is the eighth-longest in area history.

This week was the first that Class 6A and Class 5A schools could begin their seasons. Schools in classes 1A through 4A started on Aug. 10.

“Being able to come back into the gym was already in itself a great thing,” said Halstead, a sophomore outside hitter. “Then, being able to come out on the court and be out here again, I wouldn’t say it was overwhelming, but it was such a good atmosphere to be around. There were so many people supporting for both teams.”

Although limited — two entire sections, one on each side of the arena, were blocked off because of social-distancing mandates — the crowd got its money’s worth.

In a contest filled with solid attacking, blocking and defense, Brandeis came up big in the pivotal occasions en route to its first district win vs. Clark since a five-set decision on Sept. 2, 2016, the season when the Broncos came within one win of advancing to the UIL Class 6A state tournament, falling to Reagan in four sets in the Region IV-6A final.

The Broncos closed with an 11-3 run in the final set, turning a 15-14 deficit into comfortable triumph. Jalyn Gibson, a junior outside hitter committed to TCU, and Halstead led the charge. Gibson finished with 24 kills, 11 digs, 2.5 blocks and two aces.

Brandeis prevailed in a seesaw second stanza, fending off three set points to prevail 31-29. Gibson had a kill and an ace for the final two points.
In the opening set, the Broncos rode an 8-1 run to turn a 17-16 deficit into a 24-18 advantage. Clark, paced by three Brandeis errors and a kill from junior Aaliyah Roberson, erased four set points to get within 24-22. Brandeis closed the frame on a kill from junior Leila Smalls, who tallied eight kills and six total blocks. Junior setter/outside hitter Carlee Pharris notched 31 assists, eight digs and seven kills. Senior libero Amy DeWalt had 32 digs.

“We definitely knew it was going to be a big game at such an early part of our season,” said Halstead, who totaled 14 kills, 11 digs, four blocks and two aces. “We all came in ready to play, and ready to win. Coming back after six months with a win is just huge for us. Your adrenaline is going crazy. It was so great to be back on the court.”

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