By Andy Tabor

The Coppell Cowgirls through adversity and a tough district, had a very successful season.  Although expectations may have been higher going into the season due to things beyond the Cowgirls control, they finished with their heads held high.

Losing to a very talented Hebron Hawks team shouldn’t diminish any positive accomplishment the Cowgirls did this season.  Starting out pre- season, the Cowgirls were considered a top 20 team in the state of Texas.

With three division one college commits and a returning all-state libero, the Cowgirls looked for big things.  Early in the season, the Cowgirls won the consolation championship against long time foe Plano West.

The next weekend, the team finished in second place behind one of the best teams in all of the state Allen.  A bigger loss in the game perhaps, was the loss of senior Mallory Cravens.  This thrust freshman Cassidy Pickrell into the starting line-up, a blessing in disguise for the Cowgirls.

Without the help of Cravens, Coppell still managed to fend off all competition at the Coppell Jenny Eckert Memorial tournament.  Although they finished in second place when they lost to a talented 4A Red Oak team, the team was able to gel while Cravens would recover.

The next six games were against weaker opponents, but that didn’t stop the Cowgirls from getting back to proving that they were still a top team in Texas even after a few early season losses.  In those games, Pickrell really demonstrated her talent, earning her a more expanded roll for the Cowgirls later in the season.

All the while, senior co-captain Shelby Tamura had kept the defense and back row in order.  Tamura was the anchor for the defense this season leading the team in digs.  Tamura’s leadership throughout the season energized the team to perform at new heights that may not have been reached without a little motivation.

At the start of district, the Cowgirls had a healthy Cravens back and everything clicking on all cylinders.  Coppell was predicted to be the district champs of district 6-5A and showed their strength against Southlake Carroll winning in three games.  Their big win was in an absolute thrilling match over Flower Mound Marcus in five games.

In the first round of district the Cowgirls really enjoyed the play of senior Co-captains Deirdre Pajares and Taylor Meade.  Both impact players in non-district games, the two really started to sync in district, keeping other teams off balance. 

The Cowgirls would start 4-1 in district and be in a prime position to reach their potential as district champs.

However, against Southlake Carroll more adversity hit the team when Deirdre Pajares tore her ACL.  This single injury was a big factor in the Cowgirls not being able to move on past the Hawks in the playoffs.  One person did not make the Cowgirls, but Pajares was a huge piece to the puzzle of a state championship.

Including the loss against Southlake, the Cowgirls would lose the next two matches to Hebron and Flower Mound Marcus in less than impressive fashion.  At this point, the Cowgirls would be lucky to make the playoffs.

The lowest point of the season was when they dropped a game to at the time (0-8) Lewisville, the first won game by the Lady Farmers in over a month.  After that however, the Cowgirls really buckled down, realizing their season was in question they ended up winning that match and senior night against Flower Mound to finish district at (6-4) good enough for a three way tie for second place.

The Cowgirls then were set up against Colleyville Heritage, and skeptics believed the season would end there.  The Cowgirls would have none of that attitude, completely dominating the Panthers in three games and showing fans and themselves that they could compete with the best teams in the state.

That match was their first convincing win, since the Pajares injury and gave them a much needed fire for their toughest and most important match of the year against Allen. 

Against Allen, every single Coppell player was at their best at all times.  Minimizing mistakes and forcing Allen into uncomfortable shots, the Cowgirls were able to push the match to five games.  With great clutch play the Cowgirls defeated the Eagles, in what was possibly the most competitive match of the season.

Perhaps the letdown against Hebron was based on a loss of energy and motivation spent in the Allen game.  It wouldn’t be shocking, considering Coppell needed every since ounce of energy and execution to defeat the Eagles and move on.

In the end with so much turmoil, Coppell this season was once again an intimidating opponent other teams would play and fear.  Every member was needed to make this season memorable, from the stars to the ultimate team players. 

Next year the Cowgirls will again be a force to be reckoned with, but as for this season and this team, it was a fun and wild ride while it lasted.

Go Cowgirls!