Lady Mustangs get valuable tune-up

Given that the overall competition in District 6-5A isn’t going to push Grapevine’s volleyball team very much, head coach Kori Cooper appreciated the Sept. 22 non-district match against Flower Mound.

While the Lady Mustangs (20-16, 4-0) were swept, the match served as a reminder that this team cannot be complacent. It did serve its purpose when the squad fought off Lake Dallas’ challenge this past Friday.

“Flower Mound was a good test for us,” Cooper said. “There are some wins where we weren’t challenged. So this was a wake-up call. We have to be sharp. There is some really great competition out there.”

Actually, this team was on a four-set losing streak. It dropped the first set to the Lady Falcons before coming back to win the next three. For the match, the Lady Mustangs still had some concerns where they missed 11 serves and compounded their problems with unforced errors.

But Cooper has maintained the philosophy of not talking about outcomes. She keeps stressing to her team about the elements that will cause the outcome. It’s something that continues to resonate. She’s more concerned about the process. Cooper wants her to team to remember that the means will set up the ends.

“Basically, it’s the things that we can control that will put us in a position to win,” Cooper said. “In our serving, we served very tough at the beginning. But in district we haven’t served as tough. So we have to keep working at it. Our passing game continues to get better. Our first contact is pretty good. [Outside hitter] Jordan McCalla and our pin hitters have done a great job.”

Growing up

Freshman outside hitter Symone Wesley is having a very strong campaign and emerged as a reliable part of this offense. She’s third on the team in kills (213) and carries a respectable hitting percentage (.212). Wesley is also serving at 90.4 percent.

However, she has also helped her team defensively, averaging more than 10 digs per match, and is among the team leaders in total blocks with 29. The learning curve continues. Cooper is letting her freshman make plays and fight through mistakes.

“Symone is still adjusting to the speed of the game,” Cooper said. “But she’s working hard. The thing we’re focusing on with her is that not letting one error become two. She’s more and more comfortable.”

Colleyville Heritage update

Call it a big week for the Lady Panthers (17-18, 4-1 in District 7-6A). They won in four games against Hurst L.D. Bell and four games against Euless Trinity. That did more than put the Lady Panthers in a solid position as far as the district standings are concerned. Colleyville Heritage played host to Carroll on Tuesday before it enjoys its bye on Friday.

The second half of the season will set up with home matches against Richland, L.D. Bell and Coppell and road matches at Carroll, Trinity and Haltom. It’s probably going to take seven district wins for this program to return to the postseason.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Lady Mustangs get valuable tune-up."