Burnet volleyball pushes Copperas Cove in five-set spectacle
The Burnet High School volleyball team lost to Copperas Cove 24-26, 27-25, 15-25, 25-23, 7-15 Aug. 15.
Head coach Crystal Shipley commended her players for adjusting and never letting the opponent break their will to win, even when her athletes found themselves in unfamiliar spots on the floor because the team couldn’t substitute out.
“The varsity girls fought point for point from the start against a strong, athletic Cove team,” she said. “Losing a close one in set one fueled the fire in set two. With big plays and girls stepping up in positions they usually don’t play due to running out of subs — you only get 18 subs per set — our Lady Dawgs won set two.”
Errors paved the outcome in the third set, and the Lady Dawgs, knowing they had to win the fourth set to force another game, showed the will to win, Shipley said.
“Set three was another tough one. We made more errors than normal and that caused a deficit we just couldn’t recover from,” she said. “Set four was a huge team effort. Our girls sacrificed their bodies many times to get to the ball.”
Once more, errors defined the final set, Shipley said.
“The Cove girls came out on fire and our girls struggled to get a lead,” she said. “It became a game of who is going to make less errors, and unfortunately we had more than they did.”
The outcome of this match doesn’t take away the positives Burnet coaches saw from the players.
“They are just scrappy,” Shipley said. “It’s so fun to watch. The fight in our team does not go unnoticed. We still have girls out with injuries and are still finding consistency in all that we do. We lost to a good team and got better in every way. There is so much to look forward to with this group.”
The Burnet junior varsity lost in three sets.
“Our JV team also struggled early in the first set, but started to get a rhythm and won set two,” Shipley said. “Cove pulled it together and forced some errors at crucial times, and we were unable to regain the lead. It was a tough three-set loss for our girls, but we know this team has such great talent. This group works incredibly hard, and we can’t wait to see how much they accomplish this season.”
The Burnet freshmen beat Cove in two sets.
“The freshman girls got off to a slow start but battled back,” Shipley said. “This group is so coachable, and they are eager to learn and improve. We are so proud of how far they’ve come.”
STATISTICS
Kills — Zaria Solis 17, Lauren Howton 13, Laney Huffman 9, Cydney Robison 4, Addison Huffman 4, Camryn Courtney 3, Payton Smith 3, Asah Roy 1; aces — Reagan Shipley 2, Journey Denton 1, Cydney Robison 1; assists — Camryn Courtney 25, Payton Smith 15, Journey Denton 5, Zaria Solis 3, Kylie Brobst 2, Addison Huffman 2, Reagan Shipley 1; digs — Journey Denton 33, Kylie Brobst 13, Reagan Shipley 10, Payton Smith 7, Cydney Robison 7, Zaria Solis 5, Camryn Courtney 4, Laney Huffman 4, Lauren Howton 3, Asah Roy 2; blocks — Zaria Solis 3, Cydney Robison 2, Laney Huffman 2, Addicson Huffman 1, Roy 1
Watch videos on Highland Lakes sports by going to Fierro’s YouTube channel and searching for The Broad Podcaster. Please like, subscribe and share.
