Category: Volleyball

by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Wall volleyball eyeing District 6-3A title, deep playoff run in Branch’s first year as coach

Photos courtesy of Kimberly Branch

With its sweep of San Angelo TLCA on Tuesday, the Wall volleyball team ran its District 6-3A record to a perfect 10-0 and its overall mark to 29-7.

Yet, as impressive as those numbers are, the record is not the most remarkable stat of the year for the Lady Hawks.

While forging its identity as the 6-3A “team to beat,” Wall has dropped just one set in district play.

That astounding number, coupled with the fact that Wall faced a pre-district schedule that included a bevy of quality Class 6A and 5A opponents, has the Lady Hawks primed for what could be a special season.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High fends off upset bid from spirited Cooper squad in crosstown thriller

Coming into the second crosstown volleyball match between Abilene High and Cooper, the youthful Lady Cougars had yet to win a set in five District 4-5A matches. So when coach Kandice Williams’ squad had its rival down 9-2 in the fifth set Tuesday, there were a lot of surprised — and nervous — fans in Cougar Gym.

But after struggling to wrestle momentum from the feisty Lady Coogs for most of the match, thanks in no small part to a large and rowdy crowd, the Lady Eagles recovered just in time to avoid an upset loss, rallying for a 25-13, 24-26, 22-25, 25-17, 15-13 win to level their district record at 3-3.

The match was a far cry from the first meeting between the teams, which saw AHS breeze to a 25-8, 25-10, 25-12 victory at home. And after it, Lady Eagles coach Emily Gravitt was just happy to see her team escape with the hard-earned win.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cooper’s Carillo takes this week’s award

Slowly but surely, the Cooper Cougars have emerged as one of the most explosive teams in the Big Country. And in its latest exploit, CHS rolled up 517 yards in total offense in a 66-16 win over Lubbock Cooper. 

At the top of the stat sheet: Cooper quarterback Jaden Carrillo, who hit 18 of 27 throws for 263 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed 11 times for 80 yards and another score to help the Cougars improve to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in District 2-5A DII. 

His six TD passes tied a school record held by Zac Allen and Clayton Nicholas. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Abilene Christian falls to Covenant Classical in match for share of district championship

Abilene Christian Schools volleyball coach Arnett McClure was optimistic heading into Thursday’s TAPPS District 1-3A showdown with Fort Worth Covenant Classical that his team could get an upset win and have a shot to tie for the district championship.

His belief stemmed from a five-set loss two weeks ago to the Lady Cavaliers on the road.

Instead, it was Covenant Classical that took a 25-14, 25-14, 25-14 straight-sets win at Panther Gym to wrap up the district title.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (As submitted by area coaches through Oct. 8)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Wednesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Resilient Wylie squad rallies from 0-2 hole to knock off Wichita Falls Memorial in five

A year ago, it took the Wylie and Wichita Falls Memorial volleyball teams three matches to decide which of those two would ultimately hoist the District 4-5A crown.

On Tuesday, the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Mavericks resumed one of the region’s best budding rivalries, writing a new chapter that was every bit as riveting as the three that preceded it.

In repeating a little history from the first meeting last year, Wylie rallied from an 0-2 hole to knock off Memorial in five sets, claiming a thrilling 22-25, 26-28, 25-20, 25-23, 15-13 victory at Bulldog Gym to grab a leg up in this year’s district title race with the first round of league action in the books.

It was rollercoaster of a match that kept those in attendance on the edge of their seats from the first serve to the final point and left WHS coach Shay Cox needing to catch her breath and collect her thoughts after its — thankfully, triumphant — conclusion.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: ‘Young’ Wylie volleyball squad upholding program’s established standard of excellence

With three quarters of the 2025 volleyball season in the books, the Wylie Lady Bulldogs find themselves in a familiar position: contending for yet another postseason berth.

No surprise there — in each of her previous 11 seasons as Wylie’s coach Shay Cox guided her team to the playoffs. Heading into a home match against Wichita Falls Memorial at 6 p.m. Tuesday, this year’s Lady Bulldogs are 27-7 overall and 3-0 in District 4-5A. Memorial (25-5) is also 3-0 in district, so the winner of the critical battle will take the pole position as league favorite down the stretch of district play.

While the fact that Wylie is prominent, yet again, isn’t unusual, how the Lady Bulldogs became so this fall is a little unorthodox — for title-vying sports teams in general and for Cox’s program in particular.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Haskell’s Pinkerton takes the top spot

The season’s midpoint usually offers little in the way of big-time performances, with most of the area teams taking a bye week prior to the opening of district play. 

This year was an exception. 

Haskell junior quarterback Haegan Pinkerton delivered an astonishing effort in last week’s 56-42 win over Seymour, that could have taken our weekly accolade at any given point in the season. 

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (As submitted by area coaches through Oct. 1)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Wednesday at 7 p.m. roughout the regular season.

This database will be continually updated for our subscribers throughout the remainder of the season, using only those statistics submitted by area coaches.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hawley sweeps Albany in hard-fought 6-2A volleyball match

ALBANY — Even after losing in straight sets, Albany volleyball coach MJ Reneau was encouraged by how her team performed against No. 7 Hawley at home on Tuesday night.

Hawley claimed a 25-17, 25-23, 25-19 win in the District 6-2A matchup to move to 2-0 in district play while the Lady Lions fell to 1-1.

After the match, Reneau said the final score didn’t indicate how close the two squads are, especially the opening set, which saw Hawley go on a 12-3 run.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Freeman has experienced Clyde squad rolling in second year as head coach

When Courtney Freeman was named the new volleyball coach at Clyde shortly before the beginning of the 2024 season, she immediately was met with an array of formidable challenges. 

Surprisingly, the biggest one wasn’t the fact that she was succeeding the highly successful Laura Carr in that position.

Carr led Clyde to the playoffs routinely throughout her nine-year stay there, and her 2023 team made it to the Region I-3A semifinals. 

Meanwhile, as Carr moved on after that season (to become an assistant principal in Wichita Falls ISD), so, too, did some of the better senior volleyball players in Clyde High School history. The cupboard Freeman inherited was far from bare, given the type of program Carr established, but it wasn’t filled with experienced, heirloom-quality athletes, the likes of which helped Carr make Clyde a perennial volleyball contender.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie dominant in district-opening sweep of rival Cooper

The Wylie volleyball team opened District 4-5A play in dominating fashion Tuesday, traveling four miles north to hand crosstown rival Cooper a 25-7, 25-7, 25-17 loss at Cougar Gym.

It was the fifth consecutive win for the Lady Bulldogs, who notched victories over ranked squads from Bushland and Stephenville last week to ride a wave of positive momentum into league play.

Now 25-7 on the season, WHS will take a 1-0 district mark into road matches against Wichita Falls Legacy on Friday and Abilene High next Tuesday. Cooper, meanwhile, will look to regroup quickly before taking on Abilene High on Friday at Eagle Gym.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Albany opens District 6-2A play with win over Abilene TLCA

Albany coach MJ Reneau said before Tuesday night’s District 6-2A opener that she was hoping to see her team snap out of a funk that had seen them lose nine of 13 matches and 12 of their last 14 sets.

While the Lady Lions struggled, including six service errors in the final set, Albany still began district play with a 25-16, 25-10, 25-19 win over Abilene TLCA at Eagle Gymnasium.

The win pushed Albany to 10-10 overall while the Lady Eagles are now 2-10.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wylie junior takes the top spot

Wylie junior Haddie Mock was at her very best against difficult competition last week, helping the Lady Bulldogs to wins over seventh-ranked 3A Bushland (25-8) and 21st-ranked 4A Stephenville last week. 

Mock finished a whopping combined total of 19 blocks in the two matches to help the Lady Bulldogs improve to 24-7. She also had 16 combined kills. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Graham climbs out of early hole to sweep Abilene Christian

ABILENE — It took the Graham volleyball team most of one game to find its footing Tuesday, but after withstanding a fast start by Abilene Christian, the Lady Blues stood tall for a 25-23, 25-17, 25-20 win at the ACS gym.

GHS found itself in an early 11-3 hole and still trailed 17-11 later in the first set, but a 13-3 run swung the momentum to the Lady Blues side and it never left after as coach Marci Faulk’s squad picked up the road sweep over the Lady Panthers.

The victory, Graham’s fifth in a row, improved the lady Blues to 24-5 on the year, while Abilene Christian fell to 15-11 with its first loss in six matches. Both teams play one more nondistrict match later this week before opening district play next Tuesday.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Senior standout Arrington has Glen Rose in position for another strong campaign

The bar was understandably high when the Glen Rose Lady Tigers opened the 2025 volleyball season. With a 31-8 campaign last fall that included a District 6-4A championship and a bi-district title, to boot, Glen Rose earned a postseason playoff berth for the fifth straight season.

In turn, the Lady Tigers earned something else, namely a target on their backs throughout early season tournaments and pre-district matches. That meant they were getting opponents’ best efforts almost every time out. 

Twenty nine matches into this season, Glen Rose has forged a respectable 18-11 record. With this week’s schedule featuring the final three nondistrict games on the Lady Tigers’ slate, yet another 20-plus-win season isn’t just possible, it’s almost certain.

Especially once Alex Arrington takes the court.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tolar quarterback takes the top spot

Since losing their season opener to Peaster (34-0), the Tolar Rattlers (2-1) have not only managed to improve, but they’re rapidly gaining momentum to go with that progress.

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, Briton Rice, is a part of that, having thrown for 197 yards and four scores in last week’s 42-18 win over Millsap. This, after missing a week with an injury.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie snaps short losing streak with home sweep of San Angelo Central

Coming off a rocky week that saw it drop matches to Clyde last Tuesday and Midland High on Friday, the Wylie volleyball team entered its home match against San Angelo Central on Tuesday looking to get back on track.

By the end of a hard-fought nondistrict contest, it was mission accomplished for coach Shay Cox’s squad, which swept the Lady Cats 27-25, 25-23, 25-14 at Bulldog Gym.

Led by Kiki Bolden with 17 kills and Haddie Mock with 10, the Lady Bulldogs posted a .182 hitting percentage against a strong Central defense, fighting through a few lulls in the first two sets to close out the Lady Cats in three.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clyde knocks off Jim Ned in thrilling opener to District 6-3A play

CLYDE — When Clyde and Jim Ned meet on the volleyball court, records can always be thrown out the window as the two squads tend to be part of a three-way battle with Wall for the District 6-3A championship.

Tuesday night’s affair at Bulldog Gym between the Lady Indians and Lady Bulldogs was nothing short of spectacular.

When all was said and done, it was the hosts who claimed a thrilling 25-22, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22 win to start district play.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Jim Ned outlasts Abilene High in five-set thriller

TUSCOLA — It became apparent very early in Tuesday’s nondistrict volleyball match between Abilene High and Jim Ned that the two squads would be in for a fight.

As it turned out, that fight would last five grueling sets before the Lady Indians finally prevailed with a 25-23, 19-25, 25-27, 25-19, 15-12 victory at Bill Thornton Arena.

Jim Ned, which trailed 12-10 in the fourth set after dropping the second and third, used a 6-0 run to change the momentum and maintained it the rest of the way to knock off the Lady Eagles a week ahead of a highly anticipated District 6-3A opener at Clyde.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche senior crosses 500-kill milestone while helping CHS to tourney win

Photo provided by Randy Day

Milestones catch our eye when selecting our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, as do great weekly performances. But when both occur at the same time, you can rest assured that player will be in the running for the top spot. 

This week the spotlight goes to Comanche senior outside hitter J’Lee Salinas, who not only helped the Maidens to the Heart of Texas Tournament Championship in Brownwood, but she also hit the 500-kill milestone in process. 

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by Evan Ren

2025 Big Country Preps Rising Stars Baseball Team

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to release our 2025 All-Big Country Preps baseball teams. 

Here, you will find our Rising Stars Team honoring the top freshmen and sophomores in the Big Country.

For the rest of this year’s baseball selections, please click the links below.

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by Evan Ren

SIGNING DAY 2025: Top area athletes sign on the dotted line

National Signing Day is typically a busy one in the Big Country Preps’ coverage area and 2025 was no exception with several players inking and/or confirming their commitments to play at the next level. 

At various signing ceremonies held throughout the area, athletes celebrated their final choices to pursue a degree while competing collegiately. 

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by Evan Ren

2024 BIG COUNTRY PREPS MAX EFFORT TEAM: The hardest-working players in area volleyball!

Our All-Big Country Preps Volleyball team, released today, is in place to honor those who achieved the most on-court success in 2024. It is off the court, however, where character, grit

and work ethic are often measured. And it is with our Big Country Preps Max Effort Team that we wish to honor those players who were the hardest-working, best teammates in the

area this fall. 

This team isn’t about who the best volleyball players were.

The Max Effort team honors hustle, discipline, toughness, coachability and selflessness — traits that coaches wish every player had.

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by Daniel Youngblood

All-Big Country Preps Superlatives: Carlton, Jowers, Kemp, Mock and Moore claim top accolades

Here are our superlative award winners for the 2024 All-Big Country Preps volleyball team. For the rest of this year’s selections, click the links below.

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by Daniel Youngblood

2024 All-Big Country Preps Volleyball Rising Stars Team: The top freshmen and sophomores in the area!

Here is our 2024 All-Big Country Preps volleyball Rising Stars Team, comprised of the top freshmen and sophomores in the area. For the rest of this year’s volleyball selections, click the links below.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hawley tested by Bangs before prevailing in five sets

TUSCOLA — It wasn’t easy or pretty for the Hawley volleyball team on Tuesday night at Bill Thornton Arena in the Lady Bearcats’ Region I-2A Division I matchup with Bangs in the bi-district round of the postseason.

The Lady Cats took the first two sets (25-17, 25-15) before Bangs stormed back, taking the next two (25-21, 25-23) to set up a winner-take-all race to 15.

Hawley jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the final set before closing out the match with a 15-8 win to advance to the area round to face the winner of the Nocona-Seymour match.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Stephenville Honeybees handle Big Spring to open volleyball playoffs

TUSCOLA — The Stephenville Honeybees rolled to a 25-7, 25-6, 25-15 win over Big Spring to open the Region I-4A Division I volleyball playoffs on Tuesday night at Bill Thornton Arena.

Stephenville barely broke a sweat in a match that lasted less than an hour while setting the stage for an area-round matchup on Thursday night with Springtown.

Honeybee coach Shay Douglas was excited about how her team played on Tuesday.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: San Saba’s Tharp takes this week’s accolade

It’s not a requirement for one to be on the winning team to become eligible for our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. 

It helps, but it’s not set in stone, by any means. 

Case in point: San Saba quarterback Luke Tharp, who produced big-time numbers in a 44-41 loss to Holland last week. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie can’t close out district sweep, falls to Memorial in three on Senior Night

Hosting Wichita Falls Memorial with a chance to clinch the District 4-5A championship outright, the Wylie volleyball team couldn’t complete a perfect run through league play Tuesday, falling to the Mavericks 25-22, 25-14, 26-24 on Senior Night.

The season split with Memorial dropped the Lady Bulldogs (22-18 overall) to 7-1 in league play, leaving them in a tie with the Mavericks (25-12, 7-1) atop the district standings.

A decision hadn’t been made after the match how that tie would be broken for playoff seeding purposes, but in diagnosing the factors behind Tuesday’s loss — and the potential need for a rubber match — Wylie coach Shay Cox said it came down to a simple lack of consistency.

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