Varsity started the season this week as the No. 11 ranked Houston 6A team. After dropping a close first set, the Spartans came roaring back to take the next three for a 4-set win against the Klein Bearkats on Tuesday. Klein came into the match as the No. 10 ranked team in Houston, but they wilted under the pressure of a 25-6 final set onslaught in front of an enthusiastic Spartan home crowd.

Varsity next participated in the Katy/Cy Fair ISD Tournament over the weekend. Stratford started the tournament with a nail-biter 2 sets to 1 win against a talented Grand Oaks team. The Spartans then cruised to straight set victories over Morton Ranch and Cy Woods to finish 3-0 on Thursday.

Varsity then followed up on Friday facing two other undefeated teams in the morning. The Spartans earned a hard fought 2-1 set win vs Jordan High School. The team next earned a close straight set win against College Park, which featured a dramatic comeback first-set win where Stratford staved off several set points from their opponents.

The two Friday morning wins set up an afternoon matchup with defending 6A UIL State Champion Brandeis High School. In a back-and-forth matchup featuring several lead changes throughout, the Spartans fell 25-21, 25-23.

On Saturday, Varsity took on Cy Ranch, the No. 4 ranked Houston area 6A team. The teams split the first two sets and then battled into extra points in the deciding set before Cy Ranch was able to prevail 30-28. The Spartans then finished up the tournament with a solid straight set win against College Station.

Stratford finish in a tie for 5th place overall out of 48 teams. Skylar George capped off a dominant weekend with a selection to the all-tournament team.

Varsity takes their 7-2 record to Katy High School on Tuesday, then hosts Bellaire at 6 pm on Friday at Stratford. Come on out and make it loud!