Soaring to new heights, volleyball seeks 14th straight win
Senior Sass Anderson tosses her signed volleyball to the fans in the student section.
Redhawks line up along the serving line to stand for the pledge before the start of the game.
Volleyball ends one game winning streak with a loss against Independence. The team now stands at 1-3 in District 9-5A.
Senior Sophie Thompson and senior Jessica Gordon exchange high fives during the game.
Senior Tara Martin bumps fist with assistant volleyball coach Avery Nolen.
Senior Ashley Pennington get ready to pass the ball after the ball is returned from the Lone Star side.
Senior Sass Anderson prepares to receive the ball from the back row against Lone Star on Tuesday.
Jenna Wenaas attempts to avoid the blocks from the Lone Star side during season. However, even with season being over Wenaas up for 2019 VYPE DFW Top Volleyball Prospect presented by Sun & Ski Sports.
Senior Jessica Gordon reaches over the net to return the ball to the Lone Star side.
Ranked 51st in the nation, and 14th in Texas by MaxPreps, and second in the Dallas Morning News area 5A rankings, the Redhawks volleyball team is soaring to new heights as they go for their 14th straight win against Frisco Friday at 5:30 p.m. at The Nest.
“They definitely have grown, they work together, they play different positions and take on new roles throughout the season; we have different players step up in matches and be impactful,” head volleyball coach Ui Womble said via email. “We are pretty balanced with talent, hard work and the chemistry of the team.”
We have different players step up in matches and be impactful,
— head volleyball coach Ui Womble
While the Redhawks sit at the top of the District 9-5A standings, holding onto first place isn’t always easy, even after 13 consecutive wins.
“Any team can beat any team on any given day,” senior Ashley Pennington said via text. “No team is going to give us a win just because we are in first, and we are going to have to work hard everytime we step on the court.”
Nevertheless, with a 13-1 district record and 26-8 overall, the Redhawks are in the driver’s seat to win the district championship and in turn, earn a spot in playoffs.
“Unless something crazy happens, we should win districts, which is super exciting,” junior Jenna Wenaas said via text. “We try to take playoffs one game at a time, but the farther we go, the harder the teams we play will be.”
With a playoff spot virtually assured, the biggest challenge for the Redhawks may not be physical.
“Our biggest obstacle is definitely going to be staying strong mentally throughout each game,” Pennington said via text. “Lovejoy is who took us out last year in our playoff run and are going to face them again, so that’ll be a tough game but we’ve been working really hard so hopefully it’ll go our way.”
Knowing the road to state with be filled with numerous challenges, the coaching staff provides a high level of support and encouragement for the team.
No team is going to give us a win just because we are in first, and we are going to have to work hard every time we step on the court,
— senior Ashley Pennington
“We are blessed with such amazing coaches and we owe a lot of our success to them,” Pennington said via text. “They are always brainstorming different plays, drills and workouts that will push us to be successful; as well as pushing us really hard, they are always so encouraging and truly believe in us and it shows.”
As the coaches plan each practice and play in order to aid in the team’s success, Womble makes sure to focus the girls in on dealing with one opponent at a time.
“We are amping up our workouts, setting elevated goals for each drill and trying to create some different challenges,” she said via email. “We make each game important, right now our focus is on Frisco High on Friday night.”
Aaron Boehmer is a senior and in his fourth year of working on the Wingspan staff, third as an editor. Aaron is hoping to study journalism or political...
