Varsity (11-1) started off the week ranked 5th in the State and 4th in the Houston area. They first traveled to traditional TAPPS power St. Agnes on Monday, then completed the week with a flurry of 9 games over three days at the Volleypalooza tournament in Leander.

The St. Agnes match started with Emma Dunwoody on fire. Her 4 kills, 2 blocks, and one ace in the first set had a raucous St. Agnes/Strake Jesuit crowd targeting her the rest of the evening. Up big, the Spartans closed out the set 25-14 on a block by Hailey Tacker and Ashley Jones and a kill by Hailey Tacker.

The second set saw multiple kills from Sophie Corbeil, Chloe Popkin, Emma Dunwoody, and Avery Kent. But the Spartans couldn’t quite take a lead, as St. Agnes stepped up their game and took the set 21-25.

In the third set, two early kills each by Sarah Hickman and Avery Kent, an ace by Izzy Rodriguez, and a kill and block by Gwen Koss, helped Stratford open up to a 15-9 lead. The Spartans took the set 25-10 on a thunderous kill by Addy Lanning.

Stratford opened up the 4th set with a Hickman/Tacker block and two Sarah Hickman kills to take a small lead. With the score tied at 19, the Spartans sealed the win with a Hailey Tacker kill, two Chloe Popkin kills, and a crowd-silencing block by Emma Dunwoody on match point.

The St. Agnes win lifted Varsity to 12-1 on the season going into the biggest test of the year: the Volleypalooza Tournament in Leander. Volleypalooza traditionally features the best teams in the State, as well as some out of state powerhouse programs. Stratford came in this year as the 9th overall seed out of 72 teams. The 3-day event would prove to be a test of mental and physical endurance, as well as a chance to build camaraderie with a traditional trip to the Oasis and a skit night competition.

vs. Clark, Glenn, and Sasche

On the first day, Stratford lost a 3-set squeaker to Clark HS, then swept Glenn HS and traditional power Sasche HS to claim an all-important spot in the top half bracket headed into Friday.

vs. Allen, Cy Ranch, and Vista Ridge

The next day, the Spartans lost a heartbreaker 3-set match to No. 12 State ranked Allen HS despite strong hitting efforts by Sophie Corbeil, Sarah Hickman, and Gwen Koss, then lost to No. 3 Houston area ranked Cy Ranch in a match that was close in the first set on the strength of hitting by Sophie Corbeil and Sarah Hickman before Stratford ran out of gas and dropped the second in a rout. Varsity finished up the day against host Vista Ridge, losing in straight sets despite a breakout hard hitting performance by Addy Lanning.

vs. Johnson and Clear Springs

Regrouping the third day, Varsity started off strong with a straight-set win against a solid San Antonio Johnson squad on the strength of hitting from Gwen Koss and Sarah Hickman. Stratford then took on Clear Springs, a State and Houston area ranked team that Varsity had vanquished in a home matchup the week before. After losing a close first set, the Spartans came back to take the next two in convincing fashion and claim a second win against the Chargers. The win featured a breathtaking run of great plays by Hailey Tacker on both the offensive and defensive ends.

vs. Allen

Looking to avenge a close loss from Friday, Stratford again faced the No. 12 State ranked Allen Eagles in the last match of the tourney. Allen took a close first set that saw Stratford close to within striking distance. The Spartans then mounted a furious rally to take the second set 25-18 and crush Allen in the third set 25-16 to finish undefeated on Saturday. Emma Dunwoody and Hailey Tacker policed the nets with a number of blocks in the effort. When opposing shots got through, Izzy Rodriguez, Gwen Koss, Chloe Popkin, and Audrey Cook were on hand to dig out some sharp hits. The win helped Stratford obtain its best Volleypalooza finish in years.

This coming week, Varsity (17-5) travels to Klein Cain on Tuesday for a 5:30 pm start and then plays Thursday and Saturday in the Clear Creek ISD Tournament to get final preparations in for District play.

This week’s stats include:

Sarah Hickman: 65 kills, 23 blocks

Chloe Popkin: 27 kills, 78 digs, 12 aces, 3 blocks

Gwen Koss: 78 digs, 69 kills, 11 blocks

Ashley Jones: 23 kills, 9 blocks

Emma Dunwoody: 40 kills, 25 blocks, 4 aces

Jaelyn Chen: 111 assists, 45 digs

Avery Kent: 15 kills, 4 blocks

Sophie Corbeil: 47 kills, 25 digs, 9 blocks

Hailey Tacker: 18 kills, 37 blocks

Audrey Cook: 135 assists, 61 digs, 12 aces

Izzy Rodriguez: 127 digs, 27 assists, 4 aces