Lady Eagles soar over Randall to stay in District 4-4A title hunt

With just a few games left in the regular season, the Canyon Lady Eagles made their biggest statement yet—reminding everyone that the District 4-4A championship is far from decided. In front of a raucous, standing-room-only crowd at Randall High School’s Leslie Broadhurst Gymnasium on Tuesday night, Canyon stormed to a crucial four-set victory over rival Randall, 25-19, 20-25, 25-15, 25-22, earning a season split and putting themselves squarely back in the title picture.

The win was as clutch as they come for Canyon (19-14 overall, 9-2 district), trimming Randall’s (24-13, 10-1) lead to just one game with three matches remaining. It also marked Randall’s first district loss of the season—proof that the Lady Eagles are peaking at just the right time.

From the opening serve, Canyon looked poised. The Lady Eagles controlled the tempo early, taking the first set 25-19 with steady defense and balanced attacking. Randall, known for their championship pedigree, showed why they’ve sat atop the standings by rallying to claim the second set 25-20. But Canyon refused to flinch, answering with a dominant third set and closing the door in the fourth.

Leading the charge was senior outside hitter Laney Jones, who was nearly unstoppable on both sides of the net. Jones delivered a double-double performance, hammering down a game-high 19 kills while adding 18 digs, two blocks, and an ace. Her energy and execution set the tone for the Lady Eagles all night.

Joining her on the front line was Neelie Henson, who tallied 10 kills and five blocks, while Klair Stone contributed eight kills and 18 digs. Canyon’s offense hummed smoothly thanks to the steady hands of Brylee Henderson and London Gibson, who combined for 40 assists—Gibson with 21 and Henderson adding 19. On the back row, libero Aiva Kerr anchored the defense with 19 digs and chipped in an ace.

For Randall, freshman standout Chloe Brown continued to impress, notching a double-double with 12 kills and 17 digs. Amber Matthews also recorded 12 kills, while Kambree Gonzalez anchored the defense with 19 digs and served up four aces. Benett Moore and Lexy Lujan split setting duties with 18 and 10 assists, respectively.

As the district race tightens, both teams face quick turnarounds this weekend. Randall will travel to face rival West Plains at noon Saturday, while Canyon returns home to host Dumas—another pivotal matchup as the Lady Eagles aim to finish strong and keep their championship hopes alive.

If Tuesday night was any indication, the fight for District 4-4A is just heating up—and Canyon has made it clear they’re not backing down.