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Varsity started the week with a record of 22-2, ranked 5th among State 6A teams by both Texas Volleyball Insiders (TVI) and MaxPreps. Stratford was also ranked 35th nationally by prepvolleyball.com.
vs. Fulshear
On tap was the biggest non-tournament match of the year - a Tuesday rematch at Fulshear (22-4). Stratford had previously defeated the Chargers in tournament play with an impressive 4-set performance, but strong outings by the Chargers against a slew of top teams kept them ranked 3rd among State 6A team by TVI and MaxPreps. VYPE came out to broadcast the match, and they got what they came for. The matchup lived up to its billing - and then some - as the two titans put on an epic battle.
The first set saw 15 lead changes - with no team leading by more than two points until the final point. A statement block by Milena Miladinovic signaled early control of the net by Stratford. Four Avery Kent kills and three scores by Gwen Koss helped keep the Chargers off-balance. An acrobatic dig by Audrey Cook scored a momentum changer for the Spartans, and several timely plays facilitating the offense by Cook, Caroline White, and Rachel Ashby helped gradually inch out a lead. Four consecutive scores by Sarah Hickman, including one set up by a tough Ashby dig, closed out the set 25-22. Hickman dominated the first set with 10 scores off kills, aces, and blocks, and it looked like Varsity might make short work of the Chargers. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Fulshear opened up a small lead in the second set. A Koss back-row attack and three Kent scores kept things close before the Chargers broke things open with a commanding 10-19 lead. The Spartans fought back furiously with a 9-3 run, fueled by multiple Hickman scores and Miladinovic blocks, to bring the match to 19-22. But the Spartans couldn’t complete the comeback, and Fulshear captured the second set 19-25.
Early errors by the Chargers and blocks by Miladinovic helped Stratford open up a small lead in the third set until Fulshear tied things up at 13 all. The teams traded leads for several points, with the Spartans keeping things close with scores by Koss and Hickman, before Fulshear opened up a small lead that Stratford couldn’t overcome. The Chargers took the third set 22-25. The Spartans went from an early advantage to facing defeat if Fulshear could capture one more set.
Early scores by Hickman and Kent opened up a Spartan lead in the 4th set. A Hickman power shot set up by a perfectly placed Ashby set made things 6-2. While the lead got up to 10-4, Stratford couldn’t hold it, and the Chargers came storming back to take a 11-13 advantage. A perfectly timed Kent kill off a difficult cross-court set from Koss helped spark a Spartan rally, and a pair of scores from Tess Stephenson helped Stratford regain the lead. An Ashby ace forced a Charger timeout at 18-16. Fulshear fought back to capture the lead again, and the teams proceeded to trade the lead six more times during the set. A pair of pinpoint aces by Cook brought the Spartans within a point of taking the set 24-22, but once again the Chargers took the lead. Stratford fought off match point at 24-25 on an insane rally with multiple hard digs by Cook, Ashby, and Koss before Hickman slammed home the kill. A Koss ace and an opponent error gave Stratford the 4th set at 27-25 and forced a deciding 5th set.
An early lead is critical in 5th sets, since they are only played to 15 points instead of the usual 25. A pair of Koss aces and another difficult Kent kill off a tricky cross-court set from Koss gave Stratford the early advantage. Kills by Hickman and Kent and a devastating combo block by Stephenson and Cook forced a Charger timeout at 9-3. Kills by Stephenson and Koss pushed things to 12-5, and a score by Cook and two from Hickman sealed a Spartan victory at 15-9 in the 5th and final set.
vs. Cy Creek
Friday saw District play open up with a road contest against Cy Creek. Four quick scores by Hickman opened up a small Spartan lead. A Stephenson score and a Logan Sykes ace made things 12-7, and Stratford extended things further on the strength of scores by Koss and Miladinovic, with a Koss back-row smash forcing a timeout at 18-10. Varsity kept things humming, winning the set 25-14 on an explosive put-back by Cook.
The score remained close in the 2nd set until a Stratford run started by a Kent kill and a block by Koss and Stephenson (set up by a great Ashby save) opened up a 11-8 lead. Two Hickman scores and three consecutive Stephenson scores broke the set open, and a pair of athletic scores by Cook helped push the set Stratford’s way 25-18.
Varsity opened up an early lead in the third set with a long service run by Lauren Dunwoody and another Kent kill that forced a time out at 7-3. Coming out of the break, scoring became a shared affair, as Miladinovic, Cook, Dunwoody, Kent, Stephenson, Hickman, and Brooke McAfee all added to the scoring. Jenna Rae James and Sydney Pera joined a defensive effort that held the Cougars to only 12 points in the final set, with the Spartans prevailing 25-12 after a pair of Hickman aces closed things out.
The wins this week gave Varsity a 24-2 record, and a good start to District play. This coming week, Stratford hosts Northbrook on Tuesday at 5:30 pm and then travels to Jersey Village on Friday, also a 5:30 pm start.
This week’s stats include: