The word playoffs gives an uncanny feeling to any sports fan, and the electric sense in the arena before the 6A bi-district playoff game between Coppell and Mansfield was like no other. Coming into the night, Coppell had the goal to start the state tournament off strong, and Mansfield would be their first test.

Coppell, ranked 18 in the state, was looking to start off fast, as they have done all year, against Mansfield in the first set. The night started off with both teams trading blows and points. After being tied at 7 a piece, Coppell delivered two big blocks, led by freshman hitter Mykayla Myers, to make the score 9-7

The Cowgirls were not able to seize control of the game until senior outside hitter Jamie Stivers began to lead the way with a barrage of kills, stretching the score to 14-11.

After Mansfield gained a point off a block, senior outside hitter Kylie Hagen-Breitenwischer showed off her offensive skills with two explosive kills to give Coppell a four point lead at 16-12. The heavily favored Cowgirls had not shown to be the far superior team heading into the first timeout.

Coming out of the stoppage of play, senior outside hitter Maddie Hood looked to continue the Cowgirl momentum through service. Yet after a long rally that displayed the athleticism of both squads, Mansfield won the point off a deflection of a Coppell block attempt to bring to score to 16-13 in favor of Coppell.

Strong defensive play by junior libero Lauren Lee led to a six point Coppell lead of 21-15, with the set ultimately being capped off by a trading of points, giving the Cowgirls the first set with a score of 25-15.

Mansfield’s only lead of the night came in the form of the first point of the second set, a set dominated by Coppell. After being down by 1, the Cowgirls fired off four straight points, hinting at how this set was about to unfold.

With the score at 11-6, in favor of Coppell, Mansfield called a timeout to regroup after the Cowgirls seemed to begin to execute with deadly precision. Not just the power, but the placement of the Coppell kills were giving the Cowgirls a rhythm that would not be damaged for the rest of the night.

With Hood in service, the Cowgirls grooved offensively and defensively in a way that put them up by 10 in just a matter of minutes. With the score at 16-6, aided by an acrobatic save by Lee and a crafty set over the net by Hood, Coppell did not look back. They ended up winning the set by a score of 25-10. This assertion of dominance featured a team that seemed to be imposing its’ will with determination.

The rhythm would not be stopped, going ahead with a quick 5-0 lead in the third and final set, Coppell took advantage of every opportunity they had. In the blink of an eye, the Cowgirls were up by six to the tune of stout front line play heading into the first timeout of the set with the score at 9-3.

The Coppell Cowgirls were determined to make a statement in the first round of the playoffs, and the all around team play produced a lead of 13-6 after a fault by Mansfield. As Mansfield gained momentum by cutting the lead to 14-9, the Cowgirls responded with three quick kills to make the score 17-9 in their favor.

As Coppell reached a score of 20 points, Mansfield was sitting with 11 and fought hard to keep their postseason hopes alive. Junior outside hitter Katie Herklotz decided to take matters into her own hands with a huge kill to bring the score to 22-11.

The final serve of the game was given by freshman defensive specialist Mallory Rogers, the service led to a rally that ended in Coppell’s favor, the third and final set ended with a score of 25-13, sending Coppell to round two of the state playoffs.

“[With this win] we earned a couple more days to prepare, so we are going to get out there and work to make the most of them,” Coach Julie Green said.

Green also emphasized that the Cowgirls are going to have to, “fine tune some of our game, and execute the gameplan.”