The Goodrich volleyball season ended Thursday in the area round, dropping a match in three sets to Round Top-Carmine 25-7, 25-10 and 25-8 at Huntsville High.
“We thought we were ready, but they had some heavy hitters, and we just weren't doing what we were supposed to be doing,” Goodrich coach Ashlan Stafford said. “It wasn't the outcome we wanted, but progress over perfection.”
The Lady Cubs are not your average playoff team in Class 1A. They scheduled and kept up with Class 5A schools like Port Neches-Groves and even beat some Class 3A powers like Anderson-Shiro.
“(Round Top-Carmine’s) setter was the heart of their team for sure,” Stafford said. “We had some good blocks from Aaliyah (Wright), Tamia (Figgs) and Bra’Niyah (Wyatt). They were up at the net as much as they could be. Bra’Niyah was on the back row, picking up digs like she should. Our communication was off, and they just weren't talking like they should and have been. Tamia had a few good hits and Aaliyah had a few good hits, but the communication killed us.”
Stafford has taken the Lady Hornets and organized the team. The girls look more comfortable playing the game after they were given positions and roles to perform.
“When I got the girls those first few games, they weren't even running any kind of system. They were just all playing all positions. Everybody was setting, everybody was hitting, so to end the season having a designated setter, able to run a 5-1, to know who the outside hitter or middle hitter is has been the biggest blessing we've had. They were actually learning the game of volleyball, not just going out there and trying to get the ball over the net. They are trying to pass it, set it, and set something up.”
Stafford was given the title of head volleyball coach as the year began, but earned the designation as the season progressed. All aspects of play improved under her watch, and the Lady Hornets secured their first playoff win in a decade last week.
“They have been blowing people away, honestly. That is one thing that I really want to work on in the offseason is building their confidence. They think they are so small and come from a small school, so they can't do much. But when they hit that ball and they are in the game, they go point for point with Chester, and they go point for point with Richards. If they would have been on their game last night, we would have gone point for point with Round Top-Carmine.”
The coach is excited for a new chapter of Hornet athletics under new athletic director Cordell Carter, calling him “a new heart” for Goodrich. A history teacher during the day, Stafford feels a stronger bond with her girls after serving as their coach.
“I think our progress and my relationship with the girls has grown in ways I didn't think they could. Seeing them in the classroom and seeing them on the court is obviously two totally different points of view. They are just so easy to coach and easy to get along with. They are always happy. They have their off days, but they are always trying to look for the positive. I think that's what really helps our team as a whole. When one is down, they try to bring each other up.”
