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The playoffs are here!!
Varsity Volleyball started the week 37-2 after sweeping District play. The record represents the highest winning percentage in program history for regular season play. Stratford was still ranked 3rd in the Texas Volleyball Insiders rankings of 6A teams, but the top two teams also had births into the 6A Division II bracket.
vs. Westside
To start things off, Varsity traveled to Delmar Fieldhouse to face off against Westside High School. The Spartans wasted no time in asserting their authority. Scores by Sydney Hatcher and Gwen Koss and a pair of thunder shots from Tess Stephenson forced Westside to call their first timeout at 9-3. The Hatcher, Koss, and Stephenson trio continued to pour on the points until Westside burned their remaining first set timeout at 14-4. Coming out of the break, scores by Koss and Avery Kent, buoyed by defense from Logan Sykes, Rachel Ashby, and Caroline White helped seal the first set 25-12.
The second set saw Stratford race out to a 19-0 lead on the strength of EIGHT aces from Koss, a Kent kill, and a pair of scores each by Lauren Dunwoody and Jenna Rae James. While the scorers were dotting the floor for points, stingy defense by Sykes, Ashby, and Lauren Gioco continued to keep Westside off the board. Though Westside did finally score, kills by Koss and Sydney Pera and a pair of kills by Dunwoody quickly ended the second set with the whopping score of 25-3.
The third set saw a quick Westside timeout after a 9-3 Spartan run sparked by scores from Dunwoody and Kent and a pair of Stephenson kills. Ashby kept the pressure up with an ace coming out of the timeout, and scores by Kent and Stephenson forced a final timeout by Westside at 15-4. A Brooke McAfee ace and multiple scores by Stephenson and Koss closed out the match 25-6.
vs. Tompkins
While Varsity had time for a quick celebration of their Bi-District title, a challenging matchup in perennial playoff threat Tompkins HS awaited in the area round. The Thursday matchup against the Falcons would take place in their back yard - Katy’s Merrell Center.
Stratford would open a small lead at 6-3 with a Stephenson hammer shot. A Milena Miladinovic laser to the floor made it 11-8. Several well-placed Koss scores helped the Spartans keep pace with a run by Tompkins that tied the score at 15 all. A pair of Koss scores, set up by stingy defense by McAfee and Audrey Cook, stretched the lead out to 20-15. While the Falcons would make another run, Stratford closed out the set at 25-22 on the strength of a Kent cross-court kill.
Koss, Kent, and Stephenson kept up the scoring pressure early in the second set, aided by acrobatics by Koss, Ashby, and Cook. A bullet ace from Cook froze the Falcons in their tracks and forced a timeout with the Spartans leading 10-7. Tompkins went on a run out of the break to take a lead until a stunning combo block by Kent and Miladinovic snatched the momentum back for Stratford. The Falcons proceeded to suffer a run of self-inflicted errors that helped eke out a small Stratford lead, and another Cook bullet ace had Tompkins burning their final timeout of the set at 19-17. Miladinovic then won a joust with her middle blocking opponent, and Cook and Koss kept the scoring going until Kent once again hammered home a set winner at 25-22.
The third set saw the Spartans race out to a lead on the strength of scores by Kent, Stephenson, and Dunwoody and a booming block by Miladinovic, but Tompkins made a run to tie it up at 7 apiece. The mini-run by Tompkins lit a spark into Stratford, and powered by Kent and Koss, the Spartans would build a lead they would not surrender. Coming out of a 14-11 timeout, Cook completely fooled the Falcon defense with a fake-set-turned-twisting-bazooka shot for a kill. Then Cook teamed up with Stephenson to combo block a Falcon attacker for a score. Kills by Kent, Dunwoody, and Stephenson closed out the third set and match 25-20.
The Area Championship, Stratford’s second in three years, boosted the Spartans to 39-2 for the season thus far.
First up this week is a Regional Semifinal match against Manvel High School (30-13 on the season). The match will take place Tuesday at 6:00 pm at Deer Park High School. If Stratford advances, the team would have a Regional Finals round matchup on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday TBA against either Jordan or Shadow Creek.
This week’s stats include: