Lady Panthers finally reach .500 mark
It’s been a long climb for the Colleyville Heritage volleyball program. But last Friday, the Lady Panthers reached a mental milestone.
They evened their record.
With a pretty clean victory over Haltom, Colleyville Heritage (19-19, 6-2 in District 7-6A) reached the .500 mark in what took nearly all of the season. It’s going to remain that way with battles against Coppell (that was played on Tuesday) and Carroll still to come.
With all the personnel changes and injuries, this year has been different than what this program has enjoyed in previous seasons. However, the team is on line to clinch another playoff berth.
“All of this is in preparation for the playoffs,” head coach Hollie Huston said. “For the games that we’re playing, we’re planning for each team the same. That doesn’t matter if it’s Haltom or anyone else. We will do things by the other team’s player rotation. We respect all of our opponents and want to get something out of it.
“We have to gain some confidence. What we don’t need to do is play to the level of our opponent. We have to focus on our side of the net. It teaches us to be respectful and to be humble and to win with dignity.”
Goodwin’s rise
Liberos usually aren’t stuffing the stat sheet. But you notice them when a team’s defense is playing at a high level. They’re the ones keeping rallies alive with a simple bump or great save.
Senior Rachel Goodwin has been finding her stride in recent weeks. That’s helped a surge in which the Lady Panthers had won six of their last eight.
“Rachel is really our unsung hero,” Huston said. “She’s really our backbone because she carries such a presence on the court. She can correct some of the moves that will help us in our alignments. What I like the most is that she’s consistent. Her passing has been such a great lift in what we do.”
Notable
Huston can’t resist. When junior outside hitter Tatum Ticknor returned to the lineup two weeks ago, Huston said she would limit her to the back row because she didn’t want to risk her to another ankle injury. Ticknor has gone through two ankle sprains. But against Haltom, Ticknor played all six rotations. “She’s a competitor, and I want her in there for all six rotations and not three,” Huston said … Following Tuesday’s match against Coppell, the Lady Panthers play at Hurst L.D. Bell on Friday.
Grapevine update
With a couple of matches not recorded elsewhere in the district, the Lady Mustangs (24-16, 8-0 in 6-5A) should have already clinched a playoff berth. Even if there wasn’t, it was probably going to be a formality this week because Grapevine was scheduled to play Fort Worth Eastern Hills on Tuesday.
“We don’t even talk about clinching a spot,” head coach Kori Cooper said. “We’re establishing ourselves enough to where we expect to be in the playoffs. But we’re not outcome-oriented. We talk about the causes that lead to the win.”
Cooper takes this approach because she watched it all her life. Her father Rick was a head basketball coach in college. Rick Cooper coached at West Texas A&M in Canyon before moving to becoming the athletic director at Wayland Baptist in Plainview.
This story was originally published October 12, 2015 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Lady Panthers finally reach .500 mark."