Varsity started the week 16-5 after a blizzard of 10 games in 5 days against several top programs. Stratford occupied the No. 6 position in the Vype rankings of Houston area teams and looked to improve on their record with another round of games this past week.

vs. Klein Cain

On Tuesday, Varsity traveled to Klein Cain. After falling behind, Stratford came back to take a 12-11 lead on an Ariel Robles ace. Holding a small lead the rest of the way, the Spartans closed out the set 25-22 on a pair of Sophie Corbeil kills. The second set, Varsity again started off slow, taking a lead at 8-7 on a Chloe Popkin kill. This time Stratford built up a large lead and ran away with the set 25-12, again sealing the set with a Sophie Corbeil kill. The third set saw more of the same, with Cain taking a slight lead until an Emma Dunwoody-Gwen Koss block made it 8-7 Stratford. From there, the Spartans held the lead, winning on match point at 25-22 on an Audrey Cook ace.

Clear Creek ISD Tournament

The win boosted Varsity going into the Clear Creek ISD Tournament, a series of 6 games on Thursday and Saturday. Stratford mowed through their opponents on Thursday, winning lopsided matches against Lake Creek and Clear Lake and a closer but still decisive win against Klein in a rematch from the season opening win for Stratford. The 3-0 record on Thursday placed the Spartans in the Gold bracket for the second year in a row.

vs. Ridge Point

Saturday saw Varsity face up against Ridge Point, who narrowly beat Stratford in the Gold bracket of this tournament last year. On the strength of great rightside play by Sarah Hickman and Avery Kent, outside hitting by Chloe Popkin and Gwen Koss, multiple blocks by Hailey Tacker, and long service runs by Emma Dunwoody, the Spartans prevailed in two close sets 25-19 and 25-21.

vs. Dawson

Varsity then advanced to play Dawson. Chloe Popkin started the first set scorching hot. The Spartans maintained the lead for most of the set, prevailing 25-22 on an Avery Kent kill to take a 1-0 set lead. The second set mirrored the first, with Dawson opening a small lead as the teams continued excellent defensive play with extended rallies. Stratford held tough with hard-hitting by Ashley Jones and Sarah Hickman and acrobatic defensive plays by libero Izzy Rodriguez to come within 20-21. From there, Dawson closed out the set 22-25 on a series of kills and blocks. The third set started even at 3-3 before Dawson ran out to a huge lead at 8-22. With pride on the line, the Spartans started a furious 10-2 rally, fueled by tough offense and defense by Sophie Corbeil and Emma Dunwoody, and point contributions from Gwen Koss, Chloe Popkin, and Addy Lanning to take the match to 18-24 before Dawson closed it out on a tip kill.

vs. Langham Creek

The loss put Varsity in the third-place game vs Langham Creek, a strong opponent Stratford beat earlier in the season. A flurry of points by Emma Dunwoody had Stratford out to an early 12-7 lead. The Spartans finished off the set 25-17 on a Gwen Koss kill. The second set started slower, but a series of kills by Avery Kent, Sarah Hickman, and Chloe Popkin and more defensive magic by Izzy Rodriguez brought Stratford to match point. When the final Avery Kent kill shot fell for a point, Stratford had won 3rd place in the 32-team tournament, the program’s highest finish ever.

In addition to this exciting team accomplishment, Chloe Popkin and Izzy Rodriguez were named to the All-Tournament Team. Well-deserved honors, ladies.

Varsity (22-6), is set to host Kingwood on Tuesday at 6:00 pm. Let’s get the gym jumping!! On Friday, District play starts with Varsity traveling to traditional District 17 power Cy Fair for a huge 5:30 pm start.

This week’s stats include:

Gwen Koss: 51 kills, 5 blocks, 59 digs

Emma Dunwoody: 28 kills, 10 blocks, 5 aces, 11 digs

Sophie Corbeil: 35 kills, 5 blocks, 8 digs

Chloe Popkin: 33 kills, 7 aces, 51 digs

Izzy Rodriguez: 80 digs, 20 assists, 6 aces

Audrey Cook: 83 assists, 29 digs, 4 aces

Jaelyn Chen: 87 assists, 16 digs, 3 aces

Sarah Hickman: 34 kills, 13 blocks

Avery Kent: 24 kills, 7 blocks

Hailey Tacker: 11 blocks