The Coppell volleyball team has three matches left in its regular season, but must win in tonight’s match in order to secure a definite spot in playoffs.

Coppell (17-22, 6-5 in District 6-6A) hosts Hebron (18-19, 5-6) today at 6:30 p.m. at CHS Arena. Earlier this season, the Cowgirls and Hawks went to five sets, Coppell ultimately pulling through with a 3-2 victory. 

“They are going to come back with more energy and fire, and I know that they have the capability of trying to beat us out,” Coppell senior outside hitter Alena Truong said.

Assistant coach Kai Wesemann thinks tonight’s match is key in determining which team will advance to playoffs. Only the top four teams in each district will advance to playoffs and currently Coppell is in fourth, with Hebron right before them. 

Plano East currently sits at first in district and swept the Cowgirls 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-22) on Friday. However, the Hawks swept Plano East 3-0 on Oct. 6, proving they are capable of knocking the Cowgirls out of their playoff spot. 

According to Wesemann, for the Cowgirls to secure a definite playoff spot, they must defeat Hebron in tonight’s game. If Coppell loses in tonight’s game, both teams’ records will become the same and since Hebron defeated the Plano East, they will take fourth place and advance to district.

“If you don’t have energy, or the right energy on the court, there is no way you can win, no matter how good you are,” Truong said. “There are times you can see that we are playing very individually, but lately we have been playing more as a team so I’m hoping we can bring that momentum into this game.”

According to Truong, Hebron’s strength is its offense and front row, as the team runs several serve receive plays to leave its opponent in disarray. 

However, Wesemann said Coppell’s back row has maintained consistent passing in serve receive throughout the past couple matches, its highest passing average clocking in at about 2.3-2.4. 

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