After tough losses to McKinney Boyd (25-13, 26-24, 22-25) and Weatherford (25-16, 25-21, 26-24) Tuesday night, the Cowgirls are heading into their last weekend of preseason play at the CHS Arena against Prosper Rock Hill at on Friday 5 p.m., Rockwall at 8 p.m. and McKinney North on Saturday at 5:30 p.m..

“The talent is there but we just have to figure out how to be more unified and be more focused so that we can build a more competitive and fun environment for ourselves because when we’re not stressing out, we play better,” Coppell junior right side hitter Abby Hendricks said. “We have ups and downs during games, it just depends on team morale. If we’re all in a good place mentally, while we’re on the court, we’ll play up to our own standard.”

Entering the match against teams they are unfamiliar with, the Cowgirls do believe these are challenging opponents. But with a formidable defense and working offense, Coppell sees the match going either way, as many of their recent matches have been inconsistent.

According to Hendricks, once the setters and hitter click, the offense will be more cohesive. 

“It feels super two sided; you never know how it’s going to end up,” Hendricks said. “But we’re working on that competitive aspect and staying more consistent, keeping that positive team morale.”

Despite shifting their play through the last few weeks of preseason, some aspects of Coppell’s game have recently fallen short.

“We definitely have a chance of being a strong team, on Tuesday [against Boyd and Weatherford] we just didn’t give it to ourselves,” Coppell senior setter Mari Taira said, “We didn’t play well as a team. We started off slow and we’re not good at pulling through and reversing the score. But as long as we start strong, I’m confident we can finish strong too.”

Working on communication, flow and morale, Coppell heads into this weekend with high expectations and a newfound determination.

“It’s a little nerve wracking,” Taira said. “We’re determined and frustrated with what happened on Tuesday and that’s giving us more fuel to work harder for the next games.” 

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