The Nocona Lady Indians lost in the regional final on Saturday for the second straight season, falling one game from the state tournament.
Wink won 3-0 in a tough match the Lady Indians just could not turn their way.
Nocona came into the match after three one-sided playoff wins, though the previous match against Forsan ended dramatically with a comeback in set four.
Wink came in with 39 wins, but there was hope the Lady Indians more difficult schedule might give them an advantage. The Lady Cats had the advantage of having Aizlyn Dewberry as their middle-blocker who could play all the way around.
The first set was competitive up until the midway point as neither team got three points or more ahead. Nocona led 13-12, but then Wink went on an 8-2 run to open the set up and led 20-15.
Even as the Lady Indians played better, it was not enough to make up the deficit as the Lady Cats won 25-21, with that stretch making the difference.
Nocona tried to maximize when Dewberry was in rotation in the back row since she would more likely be less involved in the attack and also away from the net on defense. The thing was, it was difficult to get balls down against Wink since the Lady Cats team proved to be solid in all aspects.
The second set did not start well for Nocona which put the Lady Indians on the defensive even as they stayed within range of two to three points.
Wink extended its lead to 17-13 and it looked like it might start to pull away. Instead Nocona fought back within one point, down 19-18 and hoping it could ride the momentum to snag the lead and control of the set.
Instead, the Lady Cats won six of the next eight points as they closed out the set strong, winning 25-20 and leading 2-0.
The Lady Indians knew they now needed to complete a five-set comeback if they wanted to win the match. To do that, they would first need to win set three to extend the match.
The opening 20 points were competitive and back and forth as both teams exchanged leads, though Wink established a small 11-9 lead. Then the Lady Cats went on an 8-2 run to extend the lead to 19-11 and the end was near.
Nocona tried to climb back as it outplayed Wink the rest of the set, but it was not enough to make up an eight-point deficit. The Lady Cats won 25-18 to secure the victory 3-0.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News. For more pictures from the match, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6870622&T=1