By Seth Slover
Staff Writer
A highly anticipated game met and exceeded its hype. Coppell and Hebron fought for the right to advance to Abilene for the fourth round.
Game one and game two were close and highly entertaining. Game one began with Coppell jumping out to an early lead, just to see the Hawks storm back to tie the game at 11. Hebron fans were by far the more loud, energized of the two schools’ fans. The Cowgirls ended up losing game one off a missed spike by senior Kierra Holst.
The Hawks came storming out to begin game two, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. The Cowgirls fought back, largely due to the effective play of junior of Erica Bohannon. Nevertheless, the effort was not enough, and the Hawks to a 2-0 lead.
Coppell, in need of three consecutive wins, improved the level of play going into game three.
“We had the mentality that we could not lose another game, meaning it was time to step up and perform the best we could,” junior Chiaka Ogbogu said.
Game three was led by the play of junior Cassidy Pickrell. Coppell played well, but could never extend the lead. Several game points occurred for the Hawks, but Coppell was able to fend them off with near-perfect play at the end of game three. Fortunately for the Cowgirls, the end of game three resulted in a 28-26 final score in favor of Coppell.
Game four had all momentum favoring Coppell. A lead of 17-10 gave Coppell a cushion that proved important later on. When Hebron cut the lead to 3, the Cowgirls were able to hold on for a victory, led by Holst’s consistent serves. In the end, backed by a now pumped-up crowd, Coppell went into game five with the season riding on one 15 point game.
With everything coming down to said game, the team was ready and intense.
“Everyone was really tired, clearly, but the adrenaline kept everyone excited and motivated,” junior Jordan Jones said.
In perhaps one of the most exciting games of volleyball in recent years at Coppell, the Cowgirls fought to a 15-10 victory in the fifth game, as all players on the court made unique contributions of their own.
With comeback wins like this one, Coppell is undoubtedly considered a state championship contender.
