Deafening cheers arise throughout the arena as the scoreboard flips to match point, echoing the intensity of the fifth set.
The Coppell volleyball team waited with bated breath as Hebron junior Amanda Goldsworthy prepared for her serve. The serve crossed over the net and Coppell senior outside hitter Daki Kahungu passed the ball to junior setter Caroline Ufret.
Ufret leapt and tipped the ball over the net, violating the setter attack rule by doing so. As soon as she did, the match came to a close and Hebron erupted in a roar.
After going to five sets against Hebron (19-19, 6-6 in District 6-6A), Coppell (17-23, 6-6) ultimately fell 3-2 (25-16, 25-10, 24-26, 11-25, 15-11) at CHS Arena.
The match was back and forth from the beginning, until Hebron gained momentum in the first set and Coppell’s defense was unable to counter. The team’s momentum carried over into the second set, but fizzled out afterwards as Coppell took the third set by two points.
The Cowgirls’ momentum continued into the fourth set and the beginning of the fifth, but stopped there. Hebron
“Once you have the momentum, you can’t take any breaks,” McDonald said. “In the fourth set, we definitely had the momentum from the beginning and that is what really pushed us to win by that much. But in the fifth set, the momentum was switching a lot because it was point for point and if we would have just strung together a few more points we would have had them.”
Tonight at 6:30 p.m., the Cowgirls play at Flower Mound. According to Coppell volleyball coach Robyn Ross, Coppell must win Friday’s match and Tuesday at home against Plano to qualify for the playoffs.
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