Varsity (30-6, 7-0 in District) started the week:

• No. 3 among Houston area 6A teams by VYPE
• No. 4 in the Houston Chronicle ranking among all local 6A public schools, and
• A perfect 21-0 in sets in District play.

vs. Cy Fair

First up Tuesday Varsity hosted Cy Fair, which sat in sole possession of 2nd place in the District. Students and faculty turned out for a great matchup and to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Night honoring the dedication of our great teachers whose efforts help prepare our students for the journey of life.

Varsity started on fire, sprinting out to a huge 11-4 lead against the Bobcats, starting with an Audrey Cook ace and continuing with 3 blocks and a kill from Emma Dunwoody, two blocks by Ashley Jones, and kills by Sophie Corbeil, Chloe Popkin, and Hailey Tacker. Avery Kent kills helped extend the lead in the middle of the set, and the Spartans closed out a dominating first set 25-10 with two aces and a kill by Chloe Popkin, a Sophie Corbeil kill, and an Audrey Cook dump set.

If Varsity thought it was going to coast to victory, that notion would soon be dispelled. The teams found themselves tied 6 times in the second set after scores by Sarah Hickman, Sophie Corbeil, Emma Dunwoody, Jaelyn Chen, Avery Kent, and Chloe Popkin. From a 14-14 tie, the Bobcats rattled off several points to take a lead they would not relinquish, winning the set 20-25.

Starting the third set, Cy Fair continued its momentum in the third set, taking a 9-14 lead. Faced with adversity for the first time in District play, Stratford responded in a big way. Varsity clawed its way back, taking the lead at 16-15 on an Izzy Rodriguez ace and extending it on multiple scores each by Sarah Hickman, Ashley Jones, Sophie Corbeil, and Emma Dunwoody. The Spartans sealed the set win at 25-20 on a Hailey Tacker/Ashley Jones combo block.

With a 2-1 set lead, Varsity took charge in the fourth set. Stratford surged ahead from a 7-7 tie to build a lead on a hail of scores from Chloe Popkin and Sarah Hickman, including a Hickman kill made possible by a smooth knee-sliding set by Audrey Cook that wowed the crowd. The Spartans spread the wealth from there, with scores by Izzy Rodriguez, Sophie Corbeil, Emma Dunwoody, Hailey Tacker, Ashley Jones, Audrey Cook, Chloe Popkin, and Sarah Hickman to take the set and match 25-14.

vs. Cy Creek

On Friday, Varsity traveled to Cy Creek to take on the Cougars, who were looking to battle for a playoff spot. A pair of Jaelyn Chen aces forced Creek to call a timeout at 12-7, but it did little to stop the Spartan momentum. Multiple scores by Avery Kent, Sarah Hickman, Sophie Corbeil, and Chloe Popkin brought Varsity to set point, which Stratford claimed at 25-13 on an Audrey Cook dump set.

Set two saw Varsity sprint out to an 8-3 lead on the strength of three Sophie Corbeil kills. A Cougar timeout didn’t stop the Spartans, with an Emma Dunwoody/Avery Kent combo block, a Jaelyn Chen ace, and three more Emma Dunwoody scores,  stretching the lead to 14-5. A steady stream of scores from Addy Lanning, Sarah Hickman, and Emma Dunwoody helped close out the set 25-13.

Four Spartan aces by Audrey Cook, Chloe Popkin, and Izzy Rodriguez helped Stratford race out to a 13-4 lead. Following a timeout, a pair of Emma Dunwoody kills, an Audrey Cook dump set, and a Rachel Ashby ace extended the lead to 18-9. Stratford closed out the set and match win at 25-12 on an Audrey Hilberth ace and a pair of Hailey Tacker kills.

This week’s wins helped effectively clinch a playoff spot for Stratford for the 4th straight year. The Spartans now have their sights on securing their second straight District title and preparing for a playoff run.

This coming week Varsity (32-6, 9-0 in District) hosts Northbrook on Tuesday and travels to Spring Woods on Friday. Both games start at 5:30 pm.

LETS GET THIS TITLE.

Stats from this week:

Sophie Corbeil: 24 kills (.213 hitting efficiency), 4 blocks, 15 digs

Chloe Popkin: 23 kills (.200 hitting efficiency), 10 aces, 22 digs

Emma Dunwoody: 10 kills (.320 hitting efficiency), 9 blocks, 2 aces, 5 digs

Hailey Tacker: 9 kills (.394 hitting efficiency), 3 blocks

Izzy Rodriguez: 37 digs, 4 assists, 3 aces

Audrey Cook: 51 assists, 10 digs, 5 aces, 4 kills (.800 hitting efficiency)

Jaelyn Chen: 27 assists, 4 digs, 4 aces

Sarah Hickman: 17 kills (.293 hitting efficiency), 3 blocks