Varsity started the week 8-1 and ranked No. 10 in the Texas Volleyball Insiders rankings of 6A teams.

With no time to ponder the hype, the Spartans started a hectic week of volleyball traveling to Katy High School for a match with the rejuvenated Tigers.

vs. Katy

A pair of Avery Kent kills and two Sarah Hickman scores from the service line and back row opened up a 10-5 lead. A Gwen Koss hammer shot and a Hickman roll shot forced a Katy timeout at 16-8. Coming out of the break, Milena Miladinovic teamed up with Hickman for the first of multiple blocks on the evening. Audrey Cook responded with a variety of acrobatic saves and sets to set up scores by the pin hitters.

The second set saw a series of Spartan errors dig a 3-10 hole. Stratford clawed its way back on the strength of three consecutive points by Tess Stephenson and Cook, forcing a timeout at 10-12. While Varsity was able to twice briefly take leads, more mistakes combined with sharp play by Katy’s hitters helped the Tigers come away with the set 24-26.

With the match even, Miladinovic came out in the third dominating the net. Three consecutive blocks involving Miladinovic and teammates opened a 4-0 lead and quick timeout as Katy scrambled to game plan around her. Stratford kept the lead throughout the set, forcing another timeout at 21-15 on the strength of kills by Kent and Koss. Varsity closed out the set 25-17.

The Spartans closed the fourth set and match 25-19 in a set that saw elite setting and defense by Cook and long service runs by Caroline White and Logan Sykes. Stephenson closed it out with a pair of booming kills that drilled home the win.

vs. Tomball

Thursday saw the first of two days of elite challenge games hosted by Tompkins and Bridgeland High Schools.

First up was Tomball, which has been a tough playoff contender the last several years. Stratford jumped out to a lead and took the first set 25-23, came back from a 3-13 deficit to take the second set 25-20, then dominated the third set throughout to win it 25-22 to sweep Tomball.

vs. Fulshear

With little time to rest, Varsity faced a huge matchup against Fulshear, ranked 7th in the state among 6A teams by Texas Volleyball Insiders and 1st in Region III by MaxPreps. Stratford jumped out early and held on to take the first set 25-21. The second set was never in doubt, as Varsity opened a lead and never looked back until taking it 25-15. Fulshear jumped out to a lead in the third set, and while the Spartans made a couple of runs, the Chargers held firm and won the third set 18-25. Stratford then took a lead and held firm in the fourth set, winning it 25-22 and the match 3-1 in sets. It was a statement win for the program!

vs. Clear Springs

Next up was a trip on Friday to the traditionally tough Clear Springs. After trading leads up to a 12-12 tie, Varsity opened things up and forced a Charger timeout at 21-16 after scores by Mliadinovic and Hickman. A pair of Cook aces closed the set out 25-16. The Chargers would never get closer.

Stratford opened up a commanding lead in the second set, and a Koss backrow kill and a Hickman off-speed score forced a Charger timeout at 9-1. A long service run by Brooke McAfee and scores by Cook and White poured gas on the fire as the Spartans torched the Chargers in the second set 25-11. A mind-numbing four blocks by Miladinovic to start the third set opened up a 10-0 lead. Hickman and Lauren Dunwoody had multiple kills to extend things, and Sydney Pera, Jenna Rae James, and McAfee helped close out the match 25-14 in the final set.

vs. Tompkins

Varsity closed out the week with two best-of-five set matches on Saturday. Stratford started that day against Tompkins, a perineal playoff team. Varsity jumped out early on a series of scores by Koss, Stephenson, Kent, and Hickman. The Spartans closed the set on a Miladinovic block at 25-14. Tompkins kept things close in the second set before Rachel Ashby was able to seal the set with an ace. Eight consecutive points by Koss, Hickman, and Miladinovic and stingy defense by Sykes and Cook put the third set out of reach, and Hickman sealed it with an ace at 25-11.

vs. Bridgeland

The final match of this week’s gauntlet was against the 2022 State Finalist Bridgeland Bears. Playing back-to-back games against the rested Bears proved to be a challenge, but one that Varsity was ready to meet. Stratford took the first set 25-15 on a Stephenson/Cook block. The second set proved difficult, as fatigue started setting in and mistakes crept in. While the Spartans clawed their way back from a big deficit, they surrendered the set 23-25. Stratford closed out the last two sets 25-20 and 25-15, sealing the match on a pair of thunderous blocks by Miladinovic and Hickman.

This week's stats include:

Sarah Hickman: 89 kills (.323 hitting efficiency), 22 blocks, 39 digs, 16 aces

Gwen Koss: 71 kills (.226 hitting efficiency), 78 digs, 9 blocks, 9 aces

Audrey Cook: 198 assists, 14 kills (.270 hitting efficiency), 56 digs, 12 aces

Avery Kent: 50 kills (.207 hitting efficiency), 12 digs, 4 blocks

Rachel Ashby: 103 digs, 4 aces

Logan Sykes: 37 digs, 8 aces

Varsity (14-1) seems poised to move up in the various rankings as the team travels to Fort Bend Travis on Tuesday and hosts Summer Creek on Friday. Come out and make the gym shake!