Varsity opened the 2024 season as the No. 17-ranked area team in the VYPE preseason rankings.

vs. Deer Park:

First up for the Spartans was a home matchup against 2023 Region III Semifinalist Deer Park. A pair of senior Avery Kent and junior Gwen Koss kills, each fed by Audrey Cook assists, opened up an early 6-1 first-set lead. The Spartans maintained the lead throughout the set, punctuated by a thunderous kill from sophomore middle Tess Stephenson. This forced a Deer Park timeout at 19-11. Consecutive kills from Cook and junior Sarah Hickman helped close out the first set over Deer Park 25-13.

The second set saw another early Stratford lead, highlighted by four consecutive kills from Hickman to bring the score to 13-5. Senior Rachel Ashby earned the libero jersey this season as the Spartans’ primary back-row defensive option and showed off her defensive prowess by teaming up with Koss, senior Logan Sykes, senior Brooke McAfee, and junior Caroline White for a series of digs and passes that kept Deer Park hitters frustrated. A booming kill from Stephenson brought the Spartan faithful to its feet at 19-7, and a pair of Sykes aces and three Koss kills closed out the set 25-7.

The third set started slower and sloppier, with Deer Park and Stratford trading off small leads. Kent helped open up a lead with three kills midway through the set. A run of kills from junior Lauren Dunwoody, Cook, and sophomore Milena Miladinovic brought the score to 21-17, Spartan advantage. Stratford closed things out for a 25-20 final set win and match sweep.

Katy-Cy Fair Tournament:

The win helped prepare Varsity for the grueling Katy-Cy Fair Tournament later in the week, a collection of eight matches held over three days. The first day Stratford topped Katy Taylor 25-21, 25-13. The Spartans then blew out Cy Park 25-6, 25-3, setting up a final match on Thursday against 2021 6A State Champs - Brandeis High School. Stratford jumped ahead in both sets and maintained small, hard-fought leads - ending with a 25-21, 26-24 victory.

Friday saw matchups against three top-tier opponents in a quest for a second consecutive Gold division finish. First off was a match against Oak Ridge in which Varsity prevailed 25-23, 25-18.

Next up was a battle against annual contender College Park - and what a battle it was. The teams traded leads multiple times during both sets before Stratford fell in a thrilling yet frustrating squeaker 24-26, 23-25. The loss knocked Varsity out of Gold bracket contention, but great matches still awaited the squad.

With no time to dwell on the last match, Stratford faced off against Cedar Park in the final Friday match. Stratford prevailed in a close first set 25-23 before hitting the accelerator and closing out the match in a 25-18 second set. The win placed Varsity in the Bronze bracket with a chance at a top-placing in the final standings.

Saturday’s Bronze bracket games were all Stratford. Varsity burst out of the starting blocks against two talented opponents and never looked back. Stratford took down Cy Woods 25-20, 25-18 in a match that was never really in doubt from the opening point. The Spartans then trounced perennial 5A power Canyon in a 25-14, 25-13 beatdown.

The Saturday wins gave Varsity a 7-1 record in the tournament, matching their best ever, as well as earning Stratford the Bronze division championship and 9th place overall out of 48 teams. Setter Audrey Cook was named to the All Tournament Team.

This upcoming week, Spartan Volleyball has another flurry of games. They first travel to face a rejuvenated Katy High School team in a tough contest. Later in the week, the Varsity squad (8-1) will participate in the Bridgeland Tournament on Thursday and Saturday for the first time ever. On Friday, the Spartans head to Clear Springs for a matchup against the always difficult Chargers.

This week's stats include:

Sarah Hickman: 95 kills (.337 hitting efficiency), 10 blocks, 27 digs, 11 aces

Gwen Koss: 77 kills (.294 hitting efficiency), 56 digs, 13 aces

Avery Kent: 53 kills (.300 hitting efficiency), 12 digs

Tess Stephenson: 24 kills (.248 hitting efficiency), 14 digs, 5 aces, 5 blocks

Audrey Cook: 210 assists, 48 digs, 8 aces

Rachel Ashby: 102 digs, 31 assists, 5 aces

Logan Sykes: 56 digs, 13 aces

Milena Miladinovic: 11 blocks