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Volleyball: Back for more: Cowgirls returning to state tourney
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
The journey and path has been different, but for the second consecutive season Coppell's volleyball team will be competing for a state title.
The reigning Class 5A champs are two wins away from defending their title after winning a pair of matches last weekend at the Region I Tournament.
"It feels amazing," said Julie Green, Coppell head coach. "We know how hard it is to get to state and how hard the kids have worked to get to where we are. It's definitely a relief and we had a very difficult route to get there. We set a series of small goals that led up to getting to regionals and now we're taking the next step. But we're still not even talking about winning state. We're talking about winning Friday to get back to the finals."
The Cowgirls could also benefit from playing in Garland opposed to heading south to San Marcos.
"I can't decide how I feel about it," Green said. "To me, San Marcos is where state is and is what I think of. It's just what we're used to. But to be in the first group to play at the new location is exciting. There will be a few adjustments, but we're still going to treat it like a road trip a bit. That's part of the fun of going to state and we'll still go out there and see a few of the other matches. We'll do a lot of the same things we would do on a road-trip, but it's nice to be at home and sleep in our own bed and maybe get to see the football team play, too."
As impressive as Coppell's second consecutive trip to state is, perhaps more telling is how dominant the Cowgirls have been. Last weekend, Coppell swept Arlington Friday in the semifinals (25-22, 25-12, 25-19) before sweeping Colleyville Heritage Saturday in the finals (25-17, 27-25, 27-25) running their record in sets during the postseason to 15-0.
"It's very tough to get a sweep in the playoffs but to sweep teams like Hebron, Arlington and Colleyville, oh my gosh," Green said. "I've been very impressed with how the girls remained focused on the big picture. We were in position to lose sets in all three of those matches and the kids stepped up and made plays. And we've had all different kids stepping up to do it."
Against Heritage, it was Coppell's defense that rose to the occasion.
"They're one of the best teams in the state," Green said. "We saw them on film and knew they had a lot of power and were big at the net. It put a lot of pressure on our block and it was fantastic. We only gave up two or three clean hits and we just took off. And we were serving well which helped to get them out of system."
Green was also pleased with Coppell's passing.
"Kylie (Pickrell) got the ball to the middle and got it to the right spots," she said. "They were very effective and that really opened things up for our middles. Mary-Kate (Marshall) and Chiaka (Ogbogu) did a great job."
The Cowgirls won the second set amidst controversy.
"We had game-point and Cathryn Cheek took a big swing and had to cut a ball back past the antenna," Green said. "Some people thought her shot hit the antenna but the official ruled Colleyville had a blocker that touched the net. That gave us the point and was a huge shift. If it would have gotten to a 1-1 game, that would have been a big change."
Green added the official told her not only did Cheek's shot avoid the antenna while Colleyville's player crossed the line, the Heritage block subsequently contacted the antenna anyway.
Green also credited Cassidy Pickrell for her play on the block in the win over Arlington.
"Arlington is a good defensive team and we got in some longer rallies," she said. "That's not typically our style but we hung in there. They had an outstanding outside hitter and our goal was to take her out of it and we were able to do that."
Now the Cowgirls are preparing for Clear Lake.
"We haven't gotten a chance to see much of them," Green said. "We're working on getting film and getting ready for them, but obviously they're a great team to get this far."
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