Lady Mustangs look to cruise to district championship
With its playoff berth long assured, Grapevine’s volleyball team is now heading into the stretch of trying to wrap up a district championship.
The Lady Mustangs (26-16, 9-0 in 6-5A) are playing with a bit of cushion. They led second-place Lake Dallas (8-2) by two games in the loss column with three matches remaining. Grapevine found that cushion when Birdville knocked off Lake Dallas on Oct. 9. Grapevine could have wrapped up the district championship by winning Tuesday night at Lake Dallas.
Regardless of that result, the Lady Mustangs would be prohibitive favorites in their final two 6-5A matches against Fort Worth Carter-Riverside on Friday and at Fort Worth Poly on Oct. 27. It would take an epic collapse for this program not win the district title.
Grapevine is already in a different mode as the first week of November approaches. This team wants to be playing at a level that will give it the best chance to advance to the Region I tournament. Last year, Grapevine was eliminated in the regional quarterfinals.
“Really, it’s the start of a playoff run,” head coach Kori Cooper said. “We have to play with a sense of urgency without losing the focus of the work we want to do in district. We expect to be in the playoffs. It’s a case where we want to finish district strong.”
Grapevine used its final bye last Friday with a home match against Decatur. Last year, Grapevine lost this contest up in Wise County. The Lady Mustangs won in four sets and did so without senior outside hitter Taylor Kress. Kress was on her official visit to West Texas A&M in Canyon.
“What I liked about [the win] was that it showed our depth,” Cooper said. “We were steady and strong. What’s good about this team is that they’re very coachable. Like we’ve talked about, we’re not talking about the wins and losses. We’re talking about what goes into those. Those are the things that keeps a sense of urgency.”
Notable
Should Grapevine win district, the Lady Mustangs would play the fourth-place team in District 5-5A in bi-district. That district includes the Saginaw schools, Wichita Falls schools, White Settlement Brewer, Denton and Azle. There is a logjam for fourth place with three matches to play. Brewer and Wichita Falls were tied for fourth. Saginaw Chisholm Trail is one game behind in sixth place … In the win against Decatur, freshman outside hitter Symone Wesley dropped 21 kills and committed no hitting errors. She hit more than .500 for the match. “She seems like she’s more in a rhythm,” Cooper said. “With the tough preseason, she learned she couldn’t just power through the blocks like she could in eighth grade.” … When the season concludes on Oct. 27, don’t look for the Lady Mustangs to play a warmup match that weekend. Cooper is not a fan of those.
Colleyville Heritage update
The Lady Panthers (20-20, 7-3 in District 7-6A) clinched a playoff berth with a victory over Hurst L.D. Bell last Friday. They conclude the regular season with road matches at Euless Trinity on Tuesday and at Carroll on Friday. The Lady Panthers had to beat Trinity in order to wrap up third place. Coach Hollie Huston’s team draws the final bye in the district and will not play on Oct. 27.
This story was originally published October 19, 2015 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Lady Mustangs look to cruise to district championship."