Lady Panthers ready to go under another new coach
Bri Barker-Groth arrived at Colleyville Heritage in the spring with the hopes of taking the volleyball program in a different direction.
It was clear that healing was needed after Hollie Huston left after only one season. Although the Lady Panthers advanced to the 2015 Class 6A playoffs, things were just never right. Huston has since moved on to Keller Fossil Ridge.
Barker-Groth spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at Lucas Lovejoy.
“The volleyball program was a little broken,” Barker-Groth said. “So we’ve used the offseason to tie up some loose ends and look forward to the next season. We’re just trying to move on. We have to do that.”
Colleyville Heritage volleyball will be the first varsity team to experience life in Class 5A. The school dropped down from 6A following the February realignment. The program is now in District 8-5A with fellow GCISD school Grapevine, Richland, which shared the same 6A district with CHHS for the previous two seasons, Birdville, Fort Worth Poly, Fort Worth Dunbar, Fort Worth Eastern Hills and Fort Worth Carter-Riverside.
“We’re going to be a good team,” Barker-Groth said. “We’ll be solid offensively but great defensively. I think we’ll be really good at the pin. We just need to find some answers in the middle.”
The Lady Panthers should be vying for the district championship, along with Grapevine.
Lady Panthers
Coach: Bri Barker-Groth (1st season)
2015 record: 21-23 (lost to Plano in 6A Region I area round)
Starters returning: 4
Notable: One major issue facing this team is with sophomore middle blocker Ashley McKillop. McKillop suffered a knee injury recently. It’s unclear of its severity and what it could mean for the upcoming season … There are three seniors that should be a factor coming into a district championship run, led by senior libero Tatum Ticknor (verbally committed to Arkansas State), outside hitter Jordan Lackey and middle blocker Brooklyn Blalock. Blalock spent the 2015 season with the junior varsity but is now ready to take the turn and contribute in her final season with the program …
Barker-Groth said she will run a 6-2, but there will be some versatility to it. Junior Lauren Evans has the versatility to play all six positions and will be positioned on the front row as an outside hitter. There are other setters being considered, led by sophomore Isabelle Murray ... Lackey’s offense should take a step forward after spending a lot of time with the beach volleyball circuit. “The advantage in going from beach to the court is that you learn to cover more ground,” Barker-Groth said. “You learn to use your feet more because you have less space to cover. You understand how people use their arm swing.” …
Youth will be a part of this team as Barker-Groth is expecting several sophomores to play a role this season … the Lady Panthers should carry about 14 players on the roster. For now, at least 10 spots have been solidified … CHHS will be playing in the preseason tournaments in Pearland (2016 Adidas Texas Volleyball Invitational), the Northwest ISD tournament and the PSA tournament in Plano.
This story was originally published July 20, 2016 at 9:44 AM with the headline "Lady Panthers ready to go under another new coach."