In a thrilling week of volleyball action, the Coldspring Lady Trojans cemented their place in history by claiming the Area Championship title with two hard-fought victories.
After sweeping the Hitchcock Lady Bulldogs on Tuesday night in three straight sets, the Lady Trojans faced a fierce test from Huntington on Friday night. With sheer determination and grit, they emerged victorious in a five-set battle (3-2), marking a monumental achievement as the first volleyball team from Coldspring to advance to the regional round of the UIL Playoffs.
Senior Mariah Major, who helped power the Lady Trojans through the intense showdown, highlighted the significance of Friday night’s win: “We did not want to give the ‘W’ to Huntington tonight as it is a ‘win or go home’ game.”
Senior middle blocker Ella Phillips echoed her teammate’s pride and determination: “We played hard tonight and never gave up, and it paid off. I am so proud of this team.”
Acknowledging Huntington’s skill, senior Tess Phillips added, “We knew coming into the game it was going to be tough since Huntington has a great group of athletes this year, but we never gave up tonight.”
Coach Dwain Anderson praised the team’s resilience and focus during the match.
“We came out playing way above our game the first two sets at 25-17 and 25-23 but lost our focus and concentration in the third and fourth sets, 22-25 and 18-25,” he said. “After regrouping, we managed to take the tiebreaker, 16-14.”
The Lady Trojans demonstrated their prowess earlier in the week, taking the bi-district title in three against Hitchcock, with scores of 25-12, 25-14 and 25-14. Now, the team is set to face Franklin in the first round of the regional playoffs, stepping onto the court with newfound momentum and the pride of Coldspring behind them.
Standouts were Ashlynn Holley with 14 kills and 13 digs, Ella Phillips with 10 kills and Cali Crowder with 30 assists.
