Lady Highlander volleyball on 16 match win streak, topple Atascocita Eagles in three

THE WOODLANDS, Texas- It’s been one month to the day since the Woodlands Lady Highlander volleyball team (23-2, 2-0) has dropped a match, or even a set, en route to a 15 game winning streak. The number 11 team in the state, and 20th nationally, had no problem dispatching the Atascocita Eagles (10-17, 0-2) in straight sets; 25-12, 25-18, 25-11 to send their winning streak to 16 games and start district play 2-0.

“To get another district win was good,” said Lady Highlander Head Coach Leslie Madison. “We did some good things that hopefully will carry us into Friday.”

Leaders for the matchup were Courtney Quinn with 13 kills to go along with seven digs. Kendall Cook was the assist leader for the game with 28, and Hailey Reier had eight digs for the contest.

The first set saw Atascocita get off to a 2-0 start, but then the Lady Highlanders caught fire. With junior Reier serving, the Woodlands would go on an 8-0 run, capped off by a cross-court kill by Courtney Quinn. A Rachel Reed ace would make the score 11-3, and the first set was all Lady Highlanders. After a strong dig by Julia Pasch and a block by Rachel Reed, the score had been upped to 17-6 Woodlands. After an ace by Kendall Cook, the first game ended with the Highlanders on top 25-12.

The second game again saw Reier serving the Lady Highlanders out to a quick 3-0 lead, highlighted by a Rachel Reed slam down center court. An ace by Pasch doubled up the score at 12-6, and the Lady Highlanders were off and running in the second. A kill down the close-court side by Quinn gave the Highlanders a 22-15 advantage, and a quick tip score by Bella Pinton finished the game at 25-18 Lady Highlanders.

The third game saw the Eagles jump out to a 2-0 lead, similar to the first, but after a Pasch kill on an overpass from Atascocita, the Highlanders had jumped out to an 8-4 lead. An ace by Grey Kennedy made the score 17-8, and the Woodlands was in control of the third game. A smart, angled shot to the front corner of the court by Quinn, made the score 21-9, and a Pasch dig and kill ended the third at 25-11.

The Lady Highlanders will look to continue their streak with a big matchup against a quality College Park team (20-4, 1-0) at home on Friday, September 19th at 4:30pm.

“We have a really big match on Friday (against College Park),” said Madison. “I think it will be a good match, they have a really talented team with a lot of good players.”