HS Volleyball: Crucial Win for The Woodlands Keeps the Team’s Championship Hopes Alive

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The College Park High School gym welcomed a heated rivalry between the Lady Cavaliers (20-9) and the victorious Woodlands Lady Highlanders (19-7) to determine shifts in the 13-6A standings.

Both teams needed a win if they hoped to jump the other in the 13-6A standings. The Lady Cavaliers hold the 2nd-ranked spot due to tiebreakers, but the Lady Highlanders were looking to make the stride needed to push past their rivals.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Lady Highlander Head Coach Terri Wade spoke on College Park’s rocking student section and the team’s pre-match preparation.

“They’re always going to have a good crowd,” said Wade. “But just like any other opponent, we try to use that to our advantage. When the crowd gets into the game, we hope it brings a little out of us no matter who they’re cheering for.”

The first set saw the teams feel one another out by trying to find holes wherever they could. College Park found initial success, with the team’s front row forming an early defensive wall.

College Park’s early effort gave the team a three-point lead but it quickly evaporated behind a series of Lady Highlander serves. A lack of communication also harmed the Lady Cavaliers, and The Woodlands snagged an 8-7 lead with positive momentum.

The Woodlands’ fresh lead rapidly turned into a growing one due to more errors on College Park’s part. A 6-0 run necessitated a Lady Cavalier timeout, but the Lady Highlander run continued after the pause.

More strong serves from the Lady Highlanders kept the team’s lead increasingly distant, but the momentum did not last.

Against the adverse situation, College Park fought back on the court. Their reliable front row connected better with the back, and the team’s hitters were savvy with their shot selections. College Park put together a 5-0 run of their own, and the opening set became close again.

Relentless fighting from the Lady Cavaliers eventually delivered their much sought-after tie, with the score locked at 17 points apiece. Neither team could break away after the tie, so each point following carried tension and hope with it.

Fortunately for College Park, they perfectly timed a 6-0 run to serve as the major break-away to close the set. The Lady Highlanders tried to make a last-second comeback, but the late lead was too much to overcome and the Lady Cavaliers took the opening set by a score of 25-22.

“We were not serving aggressively and we gave them too many offensive opportunities,” said Wade. “We just had to focus our offense and try to put the ball away instead of keeping it in play.”

Compared to their first-set opening, the Lady Highlanders come out firing to open the second set. A 5-0 run got The Woodlands out on a hot start, but their fast start did not put College Park down immediately.

The Lady Cavaliers resumed their spirited fight with their student section cheering them on the whole way.

The student section’s cheers failed to generate positive momentum through the midway point of the set, as The Woodlands continued to increase their lead. A second 5-0 Lady Highlander run carried through a College Park timeout, highlighting the near end-to-end control put on by The Woodlands.

The 13-point lead was too much for the Lady Cavaliers to overcome before the door slammed shut. The Woodlands evened the game at one set apiece after their dominant 25-12 second set win.

“We definitely made things more offensive,” said Wade comparing the first and second sets. “Our passes were getting better and our serves were more aggressive and that took [College Park] out of their system.”

A battle of attrition similar to the first set defined the third set. Both teams traded points and serves back and forth, with neither team gaining significant traction early on.

But like the second set, the Lady Highlanders found a way to pull away from College Park. Defensive lapses and missed hits on College Park’s part did eventually swing a sizable lead in favor of The Woodlands.

The 6-0 run that resulted gave the Lady Highlanders a late 7-point lead, and The Woodlands left their rivals in the dust.

Multiple Lady Cavalier timeouts failed to stop the Lady Highlander's advance toward a second straight win. The margin of victory was closer than the second set, but another commanding effort from The Woodlands gave the team a 25-16 win to go up two sets to one.

In celebration of their second straight win, the Lady Highlanders let their positive energy flow by dancing in the pre-forth set huddle. The loose and energetic vibe of The Woodlands kept the team’s spirits high during a tense set that determined the match.

“We’ve learned to not get too high energy, but it definitely helps to keep their energy positive,” said Wade. “It fosters a supportive environment on the court where the girls are helping one another when we’re in a rut.”

Most of the College Park student section had left before the start of the set, and their absence paired with the Lady Highlanders’ momentum created a difficult task to overcome.

College Park was in another hole on the scoreboard to start the fourth set due to impressive hitting from the Lady Highlander outside hitters. Additionally, early aces from Cameron McDaniel pushed The Woodlands closer to their goal of a victory.

But when they seemed poised to lose, the Lady Cavaliers put on a defensive clinic. Defiant blocks from Sarah Arroyo and Drew Cameron sent incoming Lady Highlander shots to the hardwood. Their work brought College Park back into the set, briefly claiming a lead at the set's midway point.

Multiple ties and brief lead changes kept the tension high for both teams. The points continued to tally on the scoreboard, but no clear shots at a breakaway were had.

The first significant breakaway came with the Lady Cavaliers leading 18-16. The two-point lead was the largest since the teams had started tying, and the minor run to get it seemed like it would continue. But a deflection off a College Park block put the run to rest, and the teams were tied again after a Lady Highlander run.

A tie into the twenties made each point exceptionally important, but the Lady Highlanders aimed to turn the tension into positive momentum.

Long volleys wore both teams down, but the wear and heightened tension bore on the Lady Cavaliers. Cracks in the College Park defense were turning into holes and the Lady Highlanders turned them into points.

A string of kills into College Park’s gaps, capitalized by Ella Lewis’ game-winner, sealed the Lady Highlander victory in an emotional 25-22 set to the wire.

“We want to win district and we want to be in a good spot to get into the playoffs,” said Wade. “And I think we built some confidence tonight.”

The Lady Highlanders’ confidence will likely carry into their next matchup against the New Caney Lady Eagles. With a tough loss, the Lady Cavaliers will refocus and lock in for their next game against the same New Caney squad.

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