Spirits were high in CHS Arena on Friday as the Coppell volleyball team swept Lewisville, 3-0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-12), securing its third victory in District 5-6A play of the season.
Third set, match point. Freshman outside hitter Bree Carethers got a kill against the Fighting Farmers, extending the Cowgirls’ lead. Coppell vied for that next point. Lewisville’s middle blocker and right side hitter Titilayo Oladipupo brings the game back with a kill against Coppell, now 24-11. The Farmers held up for two points, Lewisville sophomore libero Kinsey Dean saved the match point for the Farmers with an ace. Carethers finished off the set with a kill, 25-12.
“Most of the time we are undersized against the other teams we play, so any time their athleticism shines, like how high Bree can jump and how fast her arm can put a ball down, you can feel the excitement,” Cowgirls coach Robyn Ross said. “It is why they work so hard and train so hard, to have moments like this.”
Key offensive action occurred during the second set. Felix started with a kill. To finish, senior libero Molly Williams served consecutive aces and brought the score to 24-14. Senior outside hitter Anaya Oswal closed the set with a kill.
“This was a fun game so I could go hard on my serves, and I ended up getting those aces,” Williams said.
During the second set, the Farmers came up a few points behind the Cowgirls. Lewisville senior pin hitter Reagan Hamilton tipped to cut Coppell’s lead to 16-13. However, the Farmers could not get much closer than this in the set.
“Every match we try to prepare and do an offensive scheme with what we think will work the best against what the other team has defensively,” Ross said. “The girls knew exactly what spot we were interested in hitting, and we really limited those errors.”
The Cowgirls began every set with the initial point, reflected in their strong lead in every finished set. From the first set, junior outside hitter Brooke Felix claimed the first point after tipping the ball.
“One of the things we are working on is coming out and getting a better start to matches,” Ross said. “It is something we have struggled with, so I think they did a great job of working to fix that tonight.”
Having family with military background and serving in the Air Force, Ross coordinates military members, veterans and first responders for this event, and the Coppell Cowgirls Volleyball Booster Club donation of $4000 to the One Tribe Foundation.
“It is something I am trying to bring into this program so that the girls can realize it is bigger than just Coppell and bigger than volleyball,” Ross said.
Coppell plays again on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Braswell.
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