SHEPHERD — The Shepherd Lady Pirates managed to take down the powerhouse of the Corrigan Lady Bulldogs in the first game of the volleyball season on Aug. 12.
Last year the Lady Bulldogs managed to shut down the Lady Pirates in 3 straight sets, but not so this year. The Lady Pirates had the crowd on its feet. The Bulldogs struck first, grabbing the opening set and looking poised to control the match. But the Lady Pirates had other plans for the night. They regrouped, dug deep, and stormed back to claim the second set, tying things up and shifting the momentum.
As the night moved on, it was a back-and-forth war from there, with both teams trading blows until the score was locked at two sets apiece. In a 15-4 win in the tiebreaker, the Lady Pirates managed to secure the first victory for the new 2025 season, winning 16-25, 25-22, 25-20, 18-25, and 15-4.
Callie Dean led the offense with 13 kills, while Aliyah Thomas and Brooklyn White each added 5. Jazilyn Richardson had 14 assists and 15 digs. Swayzie Nelson had 32 digs.
The Coldspring Lady Trojans packed their bags and hit the road east for the annual New Waverly Volleyball Tournament last weekend, one of the biggest events of the year for the small town. This year’s tourney was larger than ever, with the gym floor rearranged to fit two courts, meaning four teams battled at a time while four more eagerly awaited their turn.
From Thursday through Saturday, the energy inside the gym was electric. The Lady Trojans opened their run on Thursday with a commanding performance against Normangee, sweeping the match 2-0 (25-14, 25-20). Without much time to breathe, they went toe-to-toe with New Caney in a gritty three-set match. After splitting the first two sets (25-22, 22-25), the tiebreaker slipped away in a nail-biting 12-15 loss. Refusing to let that setback linger, Coldspring bounced back strong and closed the night with a solid victory over the Goodrich Lady Hornets.
Friday brought more highlights as the Lady Trojans posted back-to-back wins over Lovelady (2-0) and Benjamin Davis (2-0). Their momentum carried them into a tough test against powerhouse 6A Conroe, where the Trojans showed plenty of fight despite dropping both sets.
Saturday’s matchup against Madisonville was another big challenge, and although the Lady Mustangs took the victory (25-13, 25-11), the Lady Trojans showed grit, courage, and the ability to compete with larger schools.
