Volleyball: Cowgirls nab second in Jenny Eckert Memorial Tournament

Coppell’s volleyball team gave Red Oak all they could handle Saturday in the championship match of the Jenny Eckert Memorial Tournament in Coppell, but were unable to overcome the offensive attack of the Lady Hawks, instead settling for a second-place finish.

The Cowgirls dropped the first game, 25-20, before battling back to force a Game 3 but came up short in the deciding game, 25-20.

Coppell had won each of its first four matches in the tournament, before losing in the finals.

“I thought we played very well to get into the championship match,” said Sherri Hankins, Coppell coach. “But against Red Oak, we just made a few more mistakes than they did. They have three outstanding attackers and we played some tight games against them. We just came up a little short. We still have a few chemistry issues to work out. But we got what we wanted to out of our three tournaments. We were able to see some different players and how they worked together on the floor and had some players make great progress.”

Coppell sits at 19-5 following tournament play, and will begin gearing up for district play by competing in matches on Tuesdays and Fridays, like during district competition.

Coppell earned wins in the tournament on Thursday against Creekview, 25-9, 25-13, Rowlett, 25-12, 25-19, and over Plano, 25-18, 25-18.

Saturday, the Cowgirls topped Lubbock Coronado, 25-14, 25-14, to reach the finals.

All-tournament selections for the Cowgirls were Shelby Tamura and Taylor Meade.

“Shelby just continues to make things happen all over the court,” Hankins said. “She is in midseason form. I think she kind of feels a responsibility to take over because we are somewhat of a younger team.”

Tamura led the team with 69 digs and contributed 60 serve receives.

Meade, meanwhile, led the team in service receives (77) and aces (seven) while adding 37 kills on a .333 kill efficiency and 37 digs.

Hankins also continues to be impressed by the play of freshmen Erica Bohanon and Cassidy Pickrell.

Pickrell, who is helping fill the void of the injured Mallory Cravens, had 37 kills, as did Bohanon.

“Our middles are just doing an excellent job of terminating balls,” Hankins said.

Hankins added former all-district selection Deirdre Pajares is rounding into form after coming off an ankle injury during the summer.

“She had 24 kills and seven blocks during the tournament and is coming around,” Hankins said. “It’s exciting to see. She is a big hitter that the team really feeds off of.”

Coppell’s Kelsey Preston, Bear Bass and Jessica Campell put the attackers in position for kills, tallying 70, 51 and 22 assists, respectively.

“We played the tournaments well,” Hankins said. “Now it’s time to slow down a little, focus in practice a little more and get ready for district.”

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

 Plano Apartments
 Plano Attorneys
 Plano Auto Dealers
 Plano Auto Parts
 Plano Auto Repair
 Plano Beauty Salons
 Plano Car Rental
 Plano Dentists
 Plano Doctors
 Plano Flowers
 Plano Hotels
 Plano Insurance
 Plano Loans
 Plano Mortgages
 Plano Movers
 Plano Pizza
 Plano Realtors
 Plano Restaurants
 Plano Storage
 Plano Tax Preparation
 Plano Travel
 Featured
 More...