Lady Panthers, Mustangs rest up after grueling rivalry match

The day after an exhausting and emotional match is either/or.

The “either” comes from the euphoria that Colleyville Heritage felt from rallying to beat arch rival Grapevine in five games after dropping the first two.

The “or” comes from the deflation that Grapevine felt from letting a match it controlled get away from it.

Recovery on that Wednesday became the challenge for both Colleyville Heritage coach Bri Barker-Groth and Grapevine’s Whitney Woody. Each coach had different approaches.

Both teams finished the first half in first and second place in District 8-5A. Colleyville Heritage (26-8) led at 7-0. Grapevine (25-13) was in second at 6-1. The teams were heavy favorites in their Tuesday matches. The Lady Panthers played at Fort Worth Carter-Riverside. The Lady Mustangs played Fort Worth Eastern Hills.

“It takes a lot out of you when you go five,” Barker-Groth said. “Wednesdays are usually a rough day for us. But we took it easier on them. Playing five games is a lot on your body. We have a lot left in district. Now, we have to take care of business.”

The comeback was sparked by junior outside hitter Paige Dalri, who came off the bench in the middle of the third game. Dalri (5-9) came up with 13 kills that mounted the charge for the Lady Panthers to collect the first part of the bragging rights.

“Really, our other outside hitters weren’t doing anything wrong,” Barker-Groth said. “She just gave us some energy.”

Given that this district is very top heavy, neither team really faced a trap situation in their matches this past Friday. Colleyville Heritage easily took care of Eastern Hills. Grapevine handled Fort Worth Dunbar.

Both should be clinching playoff berths within the next three games. They meet again Oct. 21 at Grapevine. But it’s a long time before then.

“The message in our second half is to just keep improving and upping our goals to play at a higher level,” Woody said. “In a way, it will be more challenging for us. We have a lot of volleyball left. That’s the focus. And there’s always room to improve.”

Colleyville Heritage played at Birdville on Friday. Grapevine played a home match against Carter-Riverside.

Carroll (32-5, 7-0 District 5-6A): Sole possessors of first place, the Lady Dragons played a pair of road games to begin the second half of the district season. They were at Hurst L.D. Bell Tuesday and are at Lewisville Friday.

Head coach Ryan Mitchell finally has most of his roster healthy. That includes senior setter Sheridan Webb, who returned from a concussion last Friday against Euless Trinity. Senior outside hitter Mellanie King also returned against Trinity after dealing with an ankle sprain.

To this point, Mitchell has been pleased with the blocking of his team. He considers it a strength. One frustration is that this team doesn’t get off to the kind of start he would like. Intensity has sometimes lacked to begin a match.

“Our defense is getting better,” Mitchell said. “When you get a team like ours that’s big and tall, it’s going to take advantage of that. We’re doing a great job with recording more digs. That’s what is going to win games for you.”

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Lady Panthers, Mustangs rest up after grueling rivalry match."