Category: Volleyball

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tolar’s Abbie Soileau takes the top spot with record-setting week

Photos provided by Melissa Carroll and Kelly Moody

There’s a great deal of excitement brewing around the Tolar volleyball team heading into postseason play and with good reason. If the Lady Rattlers (28-9, 12-1 District 8-3A) manage to knock off Comanche on Tuesday, they will set a school record for wins in a season. 

Secondly, senior setter Abbie Soileau is dishing assists like they were going out of style — including the 47 she tallied last week in wins over No. 25 Peaster and Early.  That lifted her season total to a Tolar school record 1,032 assists on the year and more 1,700 for her career.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clyde sweeps Wall on Senior Night to move within a match of first place

CLYDE — When Clyde and Wall first met on the volleyball court in District 6-3A play last month, the Lady Hawks won a five-set thriller at home. That afternoon, all five sets were decided by either two or three points.

The rivals met again Tuesday night as the Lady Bulldogs honored their five seniors and, with former coach Laura Carr watching from the stands, took down their nemesis 25-22, 25-21, 25-17 at Bulldog Gym.

While the sweep was shocking in its own right, it was the way that Clyde finished off the match that was even more impressive. Courtney Freeman’s squad went on a 14-2 run to close out the third set.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 22)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday 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 Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Albany’s Beal earns this week’s accolade

With the Albany Lions winning last week’s district game with Winters by a score of 60-0, there were ample opportunities for the Lions to produce a Player of the Week-worthy performance. 

They found one in senior Branson Beal, who rushed 11 times for 144 yards and five scores. He also caught a 46-yard TD pass to chart six touchdowns on the night. 

“He might have the quickest feet of any (player) I have coached,” Albany coach Denney Faith said. “Combine that with great vision it makes him fun to watch.” 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie stays unbeaten in district play with hard-fought sweep of rival Cooper

Coming into Tuesday’s crosstown volleyball match between Wylie and Cooper, both teams were riding the high of a big win to close out the first half of District 4-5A play.

The Lady Bulldogs went on the road Friday to outlast Wichita Falls Memorial in a five-set marathon and take sole possession of first place in the league’s standings, while the Lady Cougars downed Wichita Falls Legacy at home to get a leg up on the district’s fourth playoff spot.

That momentum carried over to Tuesday as both teams played and competed well at Cougar Gym. But in the end, Wylie was too tough in a hard-fought 25-23, 25-19, 25-19 win.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Coleman snaps long skid after rallying to top Bangs in five-set thriller

COLEMAN — The past 6½ weeks have been incredibly tough on the Coleman Bluekatt volleyball team since it beat Rotan in straight sets in tournament play.

The Bluekatts had won just six sets over the course of a 17 match losing streak — losing a dozen of them in straight sets, including a 25-11, 25-13, 25-14 match against Bangs in District 5-2A play on Sept. 28.

With their hopes of snagging a playoff berth dangling by a thread, Coleman found itself trailing the Lady Dragons 24-20 in the opening set of the rematch on Tuesday night.

What followed from there was nothing short of remarkable as the Bluekatts scored the final six points of the opening set and rallied again late for a thrilling 26-24, 16-25, 19-25, 25-19, 16-14 win to move into a tie with De Leon for the fourth and final playoff spot — setting up a crucial home match on Friday night.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 15)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday 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 Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Comanche’s Terrell takes this week’s award

It isn’t often that a place-kicker nails down our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, but Comanche’s Alex Terrell has done exactly that with a pressure-packed performance in a 13-10 overtime win over Jim Ned in our Game of the Week last Friday. 

Aside from hitting a game-tying 30-yard field goal to send the contest into overtime, Terrell connected on a 31-yard field goal in the extra period to give CHS the win. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie takes care of Abilene High to stay unbeaten in District 4-5A play

The Wylie volleyball team improved to 3-0 in District 4-5A play Tuesday, smothering any upset hopes crosstown rival Abilene High had early in a 25-11, 25-12, 25-20 sweep at Bulldog Gym.

The Lady Bulldogs (16-14 overall) overwhelmed the Lady Eagles at the net, taking the visitors out of their rhythm with a towering block and an efficient attack.

That combination allowed coach Shay Cox’s squad to cruise to comfortable wins in each of the first two sets, before fending off a stiffer challenge in the third.

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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 Tuesday 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 Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Coahoma has planted a Vineyard in its backfield

With the bulk of the area’s football teams taking the night off in a bye week prior to district, the question last Friday was if we could find an ample supply of top games and top performances to cover.

We actually found several — topped by a show-stopping effort by Coahoma’s Jaidyn Vineyard in an unforgettable 71-70 win over Littlefield in our Big Country Preps Game of the Week.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Fast start fuels Abilene High to four-set win over crosstown rival Cooper

Entering Tuesday’s crosstown match in need of a win to avoid an 0-2 district start, the Abilene High volleyball team started fast and kept its foot on the gas on its way to a 25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 25-20 win at Cougar Gym.

In a match where both teams struggled to find a rhythm on the attack, the Lady Eagles were just a little cleaner in all phases, taking advantage of 29 Cooper hitting errors and 11 service errors to grab the momentum early and maintain it throughout the contest.

Playing in front of a raucous crosstown crowd, the fast start was a point of emphasis coming in and, ultimately, a key to the leaving with a win, first-year AHS coach T-Keeyah Hall-Fanner said.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hawley claims hard-fought win over Albany in straight sets

HAWLEY — For most of Tuesday’s match, the Hawley and Albany volleyball teams were locked in a slugfest that featured both teams’ service and receiving games executing exactly how they wanted to.

The District 6-2A rivals combined for just 15 aces in the match, which saw the Lady Bearcats sweep the Lady Lions 25-21, 25-21, 25-19 at Bearcat Gymnasium.

It was such a close match, Hawley coach Amy Eckoff and M.J. Reneau, her counterpart at Albany, both had nothing but praise for how their team handled the match between the two frontrunners for the district championship.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Graham volleyballer takes Player of the Week with a Noble effort

Overwhelming. If there were a one-word description for last week’s performance by six-foot Graham senior Lillian Noble, that would be it. 

Noble, a four-year varsity player who has already committed to Oklahoma Baptist, was far and away the most dominant player in both a 3-1 win over Wichita Falls Memorial and a 3-1 loss to Glen Rose last week. 

Her combined totals: 54 kills, 23 digs and 12 blocks — making her the most effective two-way player the area saw on both sides of the net last week.

“Lillian has become a true utility player for us this season,” coach Marci Faulk said. “It’s exciting to see her embrace this new role and have so much success doing so!”

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Jim Ned rallies for four-set home win over rival Clyde

TUSCOLA — After one game in Tuesday’s District 6-3A volleyball match between Clyde and Jim Ned, the visiting Lady Bulldogs looked poised to leave Bill Thornton Arena with their unbeaten district record intact. 

Coach Courtney Freeman’s squad was almost flawless out of the gate, tallying 13 kills with just three hitting errors on its way to a breezy 25-14 win in the opening set.

But as it would turn out, Game 1 wasn’t the tone-setter that Clyde had hoped it would be. Instead, it lit a fire under the homestanding Lady Indians, who rallied to win the next three sets 25-17, 25-18 and 25-22 to take the match and pull even with the Lady Bulldogs in the 6-3A standings at 2-1.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ables takes the top spot after big win over De Leon

Hawley’s Keagan Ables is no stranger to the Big Country Preps Player of the Week column — appearing among our top performers multiple times over the last three years. 

However, his latest effort to help HHS defeat De Leon 54-21 on Friday, may rank as one of his best. 

The Hawley senior connected on 16 of 32 passes for 441 yards and six touchdowns to help Hawley improve to 4-0 on the year.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS GAME OF THE WEEK: Rattlers play host to Comanche

LAST WEEK: 47-11, .810
SEASON TOTAL: 141-59, .705

After nosediving in Week 2 with one of the worst pick records I’ve ever had, the column rebounded in Week 3 with an .810 percentage to push my overall tally over .700 again. 

As for this week’s Big Country Preps Game of the Week, Mr. Yale Youngblood will be on hand in Tolar to cover Comanche’s road game with the Rattlers in what should be a fun one.

I’ll be heading to Ballinger, where the Bearcats (3-0) will play host to Brady (2-1) in a battle of upstarts. 

Let’s dive into this week’s picks: 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Anson’s Layne earns this week’s accolade

Versatility is a definite advantage for nominees in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column. And for Anson senior quarterback Corey Layne it was enough to put him in this week’s top spot. 

Leading the Tigers (3-0) to a 49-28 over Dublin, Layne connected on 18 of 27 throws for 284 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed eight times for 65 more yards and two additional scores. 

Layne was equally effective from his linebacker spot, collecting 10 tackles and one interception. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper rides emotional opening set to home sweep of Mineral Wells

Facing game point in a back-and-forth first set against Mineral Wells on Tuesday, the Cooper volleyball team used a 4-1 run to rally for a 28-26 win. That shifted momentum to the Lady Cougars’ side, and it stayed there the rest of the way as coach Nora Campbell’s team won the next two games 25-14 and 25-18 to secure a nondistrict sweep at Cougar Gym.

The victory, which snapped a four-match losing streak, improved Cooper to 10-13 with four matches to play before their Sept. 27 District 4-5A opener against crosstown rival Wylie. 

Mineral Wells, meanwhile, dropped to 10-10 with the loss, which saw the Lady Rams lose outside hitter Liliana Rodriguez for the final two sets to a broken pinky.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Abilene High’s Henry takes the top spot

Sometimes, the biggest stage creates the biggest performances. 

And in the Big Country, the stage doesn’t get any bigger than the annual Abilene – Abilene Cooper matchup — one of the biggest rivalries in the state of Texas and arguably the biggest in our area (though you may get an argument from Brownwood-Stephenville). 

Friday night with much of the city of Abilene paying attention, AHS quarterback Brayden Henry had a memorable night, hitting 15 of 19 throws for 216 yards passing and two TDs. 

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jobe takes first Player of the Week for 2024-25 school year

DE LEON — Entering this football it was expected that De Leon junior quarterback Heston Jobe would be among the top producers in the Big Country. 

It took him all of one night to prove it in a 79-43 win over Dublin on Friday.

Jobe, who connected on 13 of 20 throws for 413 yards and four scores, also rushed for 176 yards and four more TDs. 

By night’s end, the Bearcats were 1-0 and Jobe had accounted for 589 yards and five touchdowns. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Red rallies for win over Blue in FCA volleyball match

Eschewing the traditional North vs. South format in favor of a team draft had the intended results of a more competitive Fellowship of Christian Athletes All-Star Classic volleyball match Saturday afternoon at Wylie’s Bulldog Gym.

Seven of the first 10 volleyball matches saw the event end with a 2-0 sweep for either the North or South.

The first all-star draft produced a competitive three-setter as the Red team rallied past the Blue for a 20-25, 25-12, 25-19 win, led by Clyde’s Aven Horn, who left as the Bev Ball MVP.

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by Daniel Youngblood

SIGNING DAY: Four Abilene High girls make college decisions official

Four Abilene High athletes from three girls programs celebrated with family and friends Wednesday as they made their college decisions official during a signing day ceremony at Eagle Gym.

Volleyball players Yasmine DeLaGarza (Vernon College) and Amelia Carr (Arlington Baptist), track athlete Adriahna Peeples (Hardin-Simmons) and soccer player Laila Brown (McMurry) all announced where they’d be continuing their academic and athletic careers, adding to a successful athletic year for AHS girls programs that will continue this weekend when the Lady Eagles softball team meets Wylie in the Region I-5A quarterfinals.

Wednesday’s four signees bring the list of Abilene High seniors who will compete collegiately to 16 for the school year after nine signed on Feb. 7 and three more did so on April 30.

Continue reading “SIGNING DAY: Four Abilene High girls make college decisions official” →

by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall’s Jones takes five district titles and our Player of the Week

While we normally try to share the love in our Big Country Preps Player of the Week column, five district titles in one week isn’t easy to sidestep. 

And while Wall’s Briggs Jones has already pulled down our award once this year, he earned a second with his showing at the District 6-3A meet in Clyde last week by sweeping the long jump (23-2), the triple jump (44-10.75), the 200 meters (21.92), the 100 meters (10.72) and assisting the 800 relay team to gold with a 1:29.68 split. 

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by Evan Ren

EVAN REN: Why do coaches even bother?

If I were to ask one question of every high school coach in America – just one – it would be … why bother?

Yes … why bother?

While that may sound vague to some, it will quickly make sense to coaches and to those who have been paying attention.

Put simply, a once-thankless profession has sunk even lower than that (if that’s possible) – making me wonder if it’s worth the effort.

Continue reading “EVAN REN: Why do coaches even bother?” →

by Evan Ren

2023 BIG COUNTRY PREPS MAX EFFORT TEAM: The hardest-working players in area volleyball!

Our All-Big Country Preps Volleyball team, released today, honors those who produced the top on-court performances through the 2023 season. 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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Buck Powell
by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Hico’s Powell takes this week’s accolade

Big numbers are always great to have when we decide the winner of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award. Solid numbers across multiple tasks are even better. 

That was the case with this week’s spotlight player, Buck Powell, of Hico, who helped the Tigers to a 47-14 rout of Maud in the Class 2A DII bi-district round on Friday. 

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 31)

NOTE: This will be our final installment of Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders for the 2023 season 

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday 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 Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 24)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday 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 Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Big Spring’s Kavien Ford lands the top spot

Every now and then, the biggest performances come at precisely the right time. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that couldn’t be more true than it is now. 

With his team laboring through a five-game losing streak and in danger of losing a playoff spot, Big Spring’s Kavien Ford came up with one of the best performances we’ve seen this year when he rushed for 374 yards and seven scores on 39 carries in a 63-43 win over San Angelo Lake View. 

The win put Big Spring (2-6, 1-1) in a three-way tie for second place with one game remaining in the regular season. It also kept Lake View in sole possession of last place.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Cooper volleyball keeps playoff hopes alive with five-set win over Lubbock Monterey

Hosting Lubbock Monterey with their dimming playoff hopes on the line, the Cooper volleyball team played with the urgency of a squad fighting for its postseason life, outlasting the Lady Plainsmen for a thrilling 26-28, 25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 15-13 victory Tuesday at Cougar Gym.

In a back-and-forth match that saw four of the five sets decided by the minimum two points, the youthful Lady Cougars (11-26 overall, 2-8 in District 4-5A) did just enough to escape with the win, pulling within two victories of the Lady Plainsmen (20-22, 4-7) with two matches remaining.

Now coach Nora Campbell’s team will need to win at Lubbock High (10-28, 1-9) on Friday and at home against Lubbock Coronado (15-26, 3-7) next Tuesday and hope LHS can knock off Monterey on the road on the final night of the regular season to earn a rubber match against the Lady Plainsmen for the district’s final playoff spot.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 17)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday 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 Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Sweetwater’s Moore takes this week’s top spot

Big numbers are one thing. But when they come in the clutch in a multitude of areas, that’s difficult to top for our weekly Big Country Preps Player of the Week award.

This time around, it’s Sweetwater junior running back-linebacker Korda Moore taking the top spot for the week ending Oct. 14. 

Moore had a big night in last week’s dramatic 45-41 win over Midland Greenwood, with 25 carries for 187 yards and four TDs. He also caught three passes for 65 yards and two more scores.

But he wasn’t finished there. He also completed a 23-yard pass and scored on two two-point conversion runs to finish with 40 total points on the night. 

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie on the verge of playoff berth after sweeping Cooper; Lady Coogs looking for a miracle

With just two weeks left in the regular season, only one playoff berth has been decided in District 4-5A: the Lady Pirates of Lubbock Cooper know they will be playing in the postseason.

Who joins them in chasing a state championship is still up in the air, but a small sliver of the picture came into focus on Tuesday night.

Wylie knocked off Cooper 25-8, 25-15, 25-19 at Bulldog Gym to move to the precipice of clinching its postseason berth, but the Lady Bulldogs were denied a chance to officially clinch when Lubbock Monterey claimed a five-set thriller over Abilene High.

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by Evan Ren

Big Country Volleyball Statistical Leaders (as submitted by area coaches through Oct. 10)

Big Country Preps is publishing area volleyball statistical leaders each Tuesday 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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