Volleyball wrap-up: How The Woodlands and College Park ended their weekend

PEARLAND, Texas - After an up and down day at the Pearland Texas Invitational yesterday, play concluded today for both College Park and The Woodlands volleyball programs, seeing success for both sides. Both teams were playing in consolation brackets within the gold division, which hosted the top teams in the tournament after pool play finished Thursday.

For the Lady Highlanders (7-2), a late loss yesterday meant an early turnaround today, playing in the 8 A.M. slot against a Granbury team that upset College Park earlier in the tournament. The Woodlands responded well after their first loss in 50 matches, making quick work of Granbury 25-16; 25-16.

“It was definitely a little bit different,” said Louisiana Lafayette commit Julia Pasch. “Last night, right after the game, we were all kind of quiet, and we said ‘hey that’s what it feels like to lose, and we’re going to take that feeling and build on it’, so next time we step out on the court we won’t let that happen again.”

After going up against a streaking San Antonio O’Connor (made the finals of the top gold medal bracket) and winning the first set 25-17 yesterday, everything seemed routine for The Woodlands. So when they took a one set lead on Granbury this morning, they made sure to not have history repeat itself.

“Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, we showed more of our weaknesses that game (against SA O’Connor),” said Pasch. “We just wanted to come out and show everyone who we are. We should have just kept on going strong. That just wasn’t like us.”

After taking down Granbury, The Lady Highlanders made quick work of Austin Westlake 25-21; 25-10. This advanced the Lady Highlanders to the last game in their bracket, where they fell to Hebron 28-26; 25-17. No matter the results of the tournament, the right-side hitter/middle blocker for the Lady Highlanders was going to have positive outlook on the way the tournament went.

“Everything happens for a reason, so hopefully this is a learning lesson for us and we won’t let that (losing) happen again.”

The Woodlands leaves the tournament with a 7-2 record and will have more non-district play next week, with a game Monday August 18th at Katy Seven Lakes, followed by the Magnolia Tournament at the back half of the week.

For College Park (6-2), the day was about building the chemistry and getting more opportunities to play as a team. The first opportunity came against a strong Aledo team, but they were no match as the Lady Cavaliers bested them 25-22; 26-24.

“Anytime we step on the court, we’re all just getting more and more comfortable with each other,” said 6’1 senior Emily Thorson. “We’ve definitely gained some confidence from this tournament, knowing that we can go up against the good teams and win if we play to our full potential.”

The win over Aledo advanced the Lady Cavaliers to the semifinals of their bracket, where they fell to a stingy Amarillo team 25-21; 25-16. This put College Park at a strong 5-2 showing for the tournament, and made the team feel like it had a good chance to make some noise later in the season.

“I’m actually really impressed with how we’ve played,” said head coach Candice Collins. “I think we’ve had a great tournament and learned a lot about ourselves. I think we’ve gotten better and trust each other a little more with every game.”

Playing so many games in a few days is something no team is used to, so the focus and intensity is difficult to keep throughout the tournament.

“Today is a tough day, everyone is tired and you’re playing good teams,” said Collins. “By playing such good teams, I’m hopeful that we’ve gained some confidence and learned how to compete and fight for points, as well as improve our team chemistry.”

Next up for the College Park Lady Cavaliers are a couple of road games, starting with a matchup Tuesday, August 19th against Cy Fair, followed by a game Friday, August 22nd against Cy Woods.