By Allie Arnold
student life editor
@_alliearnold

GRAND PRAIRIE – The Cowgirls volleyball team walked off the court with their Class 6A Region I bi-district playoff victory of the year last night as they breathed a sigh of relief.

Midlothian was not exactly an easy win for the Cowgirls as the bi-district playoffs have been in the past. Coppell (8-4) defeated the Lady Panthers, 26-24, 26-24, 25-15, and plays Denton Guyer at Marcus High School this Friday night.

While Midlothian did bring a strong offensive game last night, the Cowgirls’ defense struggled to bring the ball up and make a play on it. Miscommunication amongst the Cowgirls as to who had what ball and was covering which area of the court also gave away quite a few points to Midlothian.

After starting the first game with a huge lead, Midlothian grew even more hopeful for their advancement in playoffs while the Cowgirls became nervous and started playing shaky and safe. However, the Cowgirls were able to close the gap last minute, ending the first game with a 26-24 win.

The second game was not much different than the first considering it also ended in a 26-24 Coppell win after the Cowgirls closed a huge gap very late in the game. Mistakes such as out ball hits and more miscommunication on defense hurt them at the beginning making it difficult and stressful for the players to come back from.

However, in the third game the Cowgirls advanced early on, maintaining a minimum of a five point lead throughout the entire game. The early lead gave the Cowgirls the confidence they needed in order to not be hesitant in their plays, going on to win 25-15.

“We knew coming out that it wasn’t going to be a breeze to beat them,” senior middle blocker Laura Hogan said. “For the most part, we did not play to our potential tonight, but in the third set we were able to get it together and make smart plays. We are all just excited and ready for our next match.”