Previewing Lady Blues' volleyball district opponents
By TC Gordon,
2024-07-26(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Lady Blues’ bench celebrates during a game in fall 2023. Graham is preparing for another volleyball season and looking for more success this coming fall.
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham setter Georgia Martin sets a ball for one of her teammates during a district game against Mineral Wells in 2023. The Lady Blues will face most of the same district opponents in 2024, with one new team added into the mix.
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s Lillian Noble prepares to hit the ball for a hard point during one of the team’s district games against Mineral Wells in 2023.
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Graham’s Lady Blues volleyball team huddle before the start of a district game in fall 2023. The team will face most of the same district opponents this coming season.
(TC GORDON | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Lady Blues’ Lillian Noble (11) and Rylee Moore (2) team up at the net for a block attempt in a district game against Glen Rose in fall 2023.
During the fall, football occupies the minds of many Texans. However, on the girls’ side of things, volleyball stands front and center.
With the start of a new school year just weeks away, fall sports teams are gearing up and Graham’s Lady Blues are no different. In about a week and a half, official practices will begin, and scrimmages and official games won’t be much farther out.
The Lady Blues are coming off of yet another successful year where the team finished with a 23-16 record overall, a third place finish in a tough district and a bi-district championship to their name.
Led by head coach Marci Faulk, Graham’s volleyball girls are setting themselves up for another fun year of competition. Before the season starts, let’s take a look at Graham’s district opponents and how the Lady Blues might stack up against them this fall.
While football has a nice preview magazine thanks to Dave Campbell’s Texas Football, no such item exists for volleyball. However, thanks to MaxPreps, Hudl and other resources, we can get an idea of what Graham might be up against.
Glen Rose Lady Tigers
The Lady Tigers are coming off another big year which saw them finish as region semifinalists. Glen Rose ended the season with a 27-17 record after losing to eventual state runner-up Canyon Randall.
Led by head coach Sandy Langford, who’s been the woman in charge at Glen Rose for 10 years, the Lady Tigers lost a lot of talent to graduation but should still figure to be in the hunt for a district title. Glen Rose lost nine seniors from their roster, so plenty of players will need to step up and fill those roles.
Last season, Glen Rose swept Graham in both match-ups between the two teams. The Lady Tigers only lost six sets all year, all of which came to Stephenville, who we’ll get to later.
A major difference in the competition between the Lady Tigers and Lady Blues could come down to experience, as Graham only had one senior graduate while Glen Rose lost multiple. The Lady Blues will have the more battle-tested team overall, so games between these two should be exciting affairs.
Stephenville Honeybees
Stephenville possesses one of the other top teams in District 6-4A when it comes to volleyball. The Honeybees finished the 2023 season first in the district and made it even farther in the playoffs than Glen Rose.
The team finished the year 34-6 with a perfect 8-0 record in district play. The Honeybees only lost two sets during the entire district schedule — one to Glen Rose and one to Graham.
Stephenville made it one round further in the postseason than the Lady Tigers but fell to the same opponent, Canyon Randall, in the region final. The Honeybees also lost a number of seniors from that winning squad, as seven players graduated from the program.
Shay Douglas leads the team as head coach again this coming season, and Stephenville is expected to be a top team once again. Last year’s team featured multiple juniors, similar to Graham, who are experienced and ready to fight.
The Lady Blues will have their hands full in both match-ups with Stephenville, as expected. Graham will hope for more competitive games and different outcomes in their two battles this fall.
Brock Lady Eagles
District 6-4A brings in a newcomer to the district and the class this season. The Brock Lady Eagles are moving up from 3A to compete in 4A in all sports for at least the next few years.
Brock has found success in multiple sports throughout its history and the volleyball team had a solid season in 2023. The Lady Eagles finished the year 25-14 overall with an 11-3 district record to finish as runners-up to region finalist Peaster.
The Lady Eagles won their bi-district game before falling in the area round of the playoffs. Brock is led by head coach Nicholas Gay and the team only had four seniors graduate from last season.
While the unfamiliarity can bring challenges, based on experience and skill level, Graham should match up well with Brock in district play.
Mineral Wells Lady Rams
Mineral Wells had a strong non-district portion of the year in 2023 but struggled when it came to district play. The Lady Rams went 26-12 overall but had a 2-6 district record, with their only wins coming against Brownwood.
The Lady Rams finished fourth in district to qualify for the playoffs and even had an upset win in bi-district over Levelland before falling in the area round.
In addition to the team’s struggles, five players graduated from the program, so there will be work to do as they look to compete in a tough district again this fall.
The program is led by head coach Kimberly Branch. Graham had a large amount of success against Mineral Wells last season, sweeping them in three sets in the first match-up and winning 3-1 in the second competition.
With an added team to the district this season, Mineral Wells will have work to do if they want to qualify for the playoffs again.
Brownwood Lady Lions
To put it simply, Brownwood’s goal should be to improve on last season in every way. The Lady Lions had a difficult year as they finished with a 6-27 record overall and went 0-8 in district play.
During district play, Brownwood only won one set throughout all their matches, which came against Mineral Wells near the end of the season.
The team graduated three seniors so there is still a strong mix of returning players who gained valuable experience. That will be put to the test this coming season as Brownwood looks for a playoff spot for the first time since 2021.
This year’s squad will be led again by second-year head coach Cheyanne Lovelady as they continue to rebuild. Graham swept Brownwood in both match-ups last season and will hope for those results this fall.
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