Prior to the second meeting between Coppell and Euless Trinity saw the volleyball programs across the three Coppell middle schools show out in support of the Cowgirls because their first matches are on Thursday. 

Packing the lower bowl with these middle schools garnered a greater crowd than usual for the Cowgirls and they came into set one with a certain vigor against the Trojans, a team they had swept on Friday.

“We were super focused on the game itself but we were also trying to make it a good game for everyone watching,” Coppell senior right-side hitter Abby Hendricks said. “We were all super excited to play as a team for the middle schoolers and for us to get another game to get ready for districts.”

Coppell (20-1) swept Trinity, 3-0 (25-11, 25-21, 25-10) in front of the future of Coppell volleyballers and extended its winning streak to eight matches on Tuesday at the CHS Arena.

Coppell junior outside hitter Skye Lamendola led the line with 14 kills while Hendricks and junior middle hitter Allie Stricker chipped in nine and seven kills, respectively. Coppell junior setter Taylor Young had 31 assists and senior libero Beca Garcia had 19 digs.

Despite a slow start to the first set, the Cowgirls quickly shifted through their gears and earned a seven point lead but the Trojans began to fight their way back into play near the middle of the set, forcing errors and knocking the Cowgirls momentum off slowly. The Cowgirls managed through the Trojan resilience and took off after scoring their 20th point of the set. 

The second set was, unlike the first, a thoroughly contested set where each team matched each other’s energy and always responded to each others’ plays. The back-and-forth fight seemed to pull off towards the Cowgirls after they had earned a 19-16 lead but the Trojans earned all three points back. 

“We’ve been in those situations in the preseason and during tournaments and matches that we’ve had so being able to draw on those experiences, the girls knew that, ‘hey, it’s a whole new set, let’s start off strong from the very beginning’ and I was proud of them for being able to do that,” Coppell coach Libby Pacheco said. 

The third set saw the Cowgirls return to their offensive prowess, opening the set up with a 6-0 lead. Despite losing some of the offensive momentum through the middle of the set, the Cowgirls were able to dispatch the Trojans soon thereafter. 

The Cowgirls travel to Rockwall on Friday and host Keller on Tuesday as their final preseason tune-up matches.

“We still need to work on some offensive connections but other than that, we’re tuning up and we’re right where we want to be heading into district play,” Pacheco said.

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