HS Volleyball Playoffs: College Park Sweeps Westfield in Halloween Night Matchup

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- The Lady Cavaliers took a comfortable sweep against the Westfield Lady Mustangs, in the Bi-District round of the playoffs on Halloween night.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, College Park Head Coach Candice Collins Gibson illustrated the team’s mindset coming into the game despite being the 3rd seed.

“I think we are focused on making a statement in the playoffs,” said Collins. “Any spot they are ready to fight for every match knowing that its do or die.”

The Halloween scares did not extend to the court, as a battle for points ensued in the opening set. College Park took an initial lead but failed to build a substantial lead due to a handful of serving errors.

The issues began to subside as the first set continued with an 8-0 run generated by consistent serves from College Park’s Lacy Tinnell. The uncontested run pushed the Lady Cavs up by nine before a timeout from Westfield attempted to slow the College Park onslaught.

“I was really proud of them,” said Collins on her team’s early run. “It’s our last home game, and I think it was really important to them to enjoy being in the home environment.”

The timeout did not have the effect Westfield desired, as College Park continued to rack up points in their march to an opening set victory. The Lady Cavaliers led by as many as 13 before the set ended, with College Park winning 25-12.

The Lady Mustangs opened the second set with newly made adjustments and a heightened focus on their defense. Westfield’s digs were cleaner, and blockers followed the ball with disciplined eyes in a bid to limit the Lady Cavaliers’ offensive production.

College Park responded with hits closer to the net, which forced the Lady Mustangs to adjust their dig attempts as the ball was rapidly coming at them. This response worked in getting points from incorrect reads from Lady Mustang defenders, in addition to the errors that kept the ball on College Park’s side of the court.

Another timeout tried to salvage the set for the Lady Mustangs, but the adjustments and messaging during the break did not swing the momentum in their favor. The handful of points the Lady Mustangs grabbed after the break were not enough to stop another commanding set from the Lady Cavaliers, who took home another win, 25-10.

Understanding their opponent’s desperate mindset, College Park got to work in the third set with the hopes of completing the sweep.

Long volleys demonstrated the fight Westfield had carried over from their regular season, getting points by forcing errors from the Lady Cav defenders. A solid run of serves also kept the Lady Mustangs within arm's distance of tying or taking the lead.

The distance between the teams started to grow in College Park’s favor following a 6-0 run as the team hit double digits. The energy brought on by this type of run was infections, spreading a next-level style of play to the entire team.

College Park’s energy, paired with inconsistent scoring from the Lady Mustangs, afforded the team the momentum they needed to finish out the set.

A minor comeback effort from Westfield was squashed by the non-stop offensive pressure put on by the Lady Cavaliers. The set ended with another College Park run that was slammed home by Tinnell for a 25-11 win.

The straight-set victory was a welcome sight for a team forced into the 3rd seed due to tiebreakers, but the win will need to be a part of a quick turnaround before College Park’s next match.

“Its important to for us to focus on the things we can control,” said Collins. “Memorial has a very good team, and we are going to need to come out focused and ready.”

College Park’s next match comes against the Tomball Memorial Lady Wildcats, with the match set to take place on Thursday, Nov. 2 at Waller High School.

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