Archives > Sports > Schools
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Volleyball: Chi-Blocka: Coppell, Ogbogu own net in win over Flower Mound
By Justin Thomas, jthomas@starlocalnews.com
FLOWER MOUND — With the match in the balance in Game 3 of its District 5-5A contest against Flower Mound, Coppell middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu rose well above the net and smashed a return of a floater past the Lady Jaguar defense for her second consecutive block-kill.
The Cowgirl bench erupted following the termination — which gave Coppell a 14-12 advantage and prompted a Flower Mound timeout — and the team never looked back, storming on to win the set and eventually the match (26-24, 18-25, 25-16, 25-23).
It was a big win for the defending Class 5A State Champs, as the Cowgirls were hoping to bounce back from an opening loss against Hebron and avoid falling to 0-2 in district.
Ogbogu recorded 22 kills on the match, including 10 of the block-kill variety (seven solo). Among her terminations was the game-winner in the first and fourth sets.
“That third game we felt a lot more comfortable,” Green said. “But Chiaka is always capable of making big plays that get us going. I thought we blocked well in general and got some good kills at the net and those are kind of our ‘uh huh’ plays. Chiaka is a big part of all of that but I don’t know if I’ve seen a more impressive one than that hit she had in a long time. It’s fun and definitely deflates the other team. We want that as often as possible.”
Flower Mound drops to 1-1 in district after previously winning its opener last Friday against Lewisville (25-10, 25-20, 25-4). The Lady Jaguars controlled the second set but the roles reversed in the third. The first and fourth, meanwhile, could have gone either way as the teams jockeyed back-and-forth.
“We changed our lineup a bit a couple of weeks ago with Lauren (Cox) coming back,” said Marci Brinkman, Flower Mound head coach. “So, this was a big match for us to see how we are making progress against a great Coppell team.”
The Lady Jaguars were at their finest during a dominating second set that included a 10-1 run that broke a 10-10 tie and saw Flower Mound surge to a 20-11 lead. Surprisingly, the Lady Jaguars were able to make their way in the set with outside hitter Jordan Anderson receiving a rest most of the way.
“She just needed a break to refocus,” Brinkman said. “Mikayla Grill came in and did a great job so we left her in because she had proven herself. I didn’t want to mess with the team chemistry at that time and we left her in because she was getting it done.”
Flower Mound received drop-kills from Molly Werts and Erin Layne during the spurt, while Grill had two kills and Madeline Marr and Briana Allmon chipped in terminations.
Allmon finished with a team-high 21 kills to go with four aces, nine digs and two block-assists.
Cox, a freshman, is also gaining momentum as district play gets rolling.
“Lauren played great,” Brinkman said. “She picked it up after the first game with her blocking and started pressing really well and tracking her hitters. She puts the ball away when we need her to and it’s usually with a lot of power. I was proud of her stepping up and against a team like that being a freshman just coming back for a week now from an injury. She is doing a great job.”
Brinkman also credited the play of Marr up front.
“She is just one of those fireballs that comes on the court and gets everyone pumped up and intense and focused,” Brinkman said. “I was really proud of her for stepping up. And our DS Logan Kelly is also playing well. We’re getting a lot of hustle points from her and her consistency.”
In the long run, though, Coppell just had too much on the front line, closing Game 3 with a 15-6 run and Game 4 with a 6-3 streak.
“We have to be tougher and be able to step back against a team that presses us,” Green said. “Flower Mound did that tonight and we were out of sorts with some injuries and other things. So it was nice to see them step up and play. Our leaders led, and we needed that, but we also had girls that came in and weren’t just holding a spot. They really played tonight. That was the difference for sure.”
Typically a middle blocker, Mary Kate Marshall excelled playing outside Tuesday, and the Cowgirls also adjusted to a system with a modified setter.
“I thought Laura Beaty played fantastic and I also thought Cathryn (Cheek) came in and played great,” Green said. “And Chiaka and Erica (Bohanon) are always there for us.”
Coppell continued Friday with a ??????????????? against Marcus before going on the road Tuesday against Denton Ryan.
“We’re not taking a deep breath yet but we definitely feel like Hebron and Flower Mound are two of the toughest opponents,” Green said. “If we can get through this and get back healthy, we’ll be stronger and mentally tougher from having to battle through this.”
Flower Mound hosted Hebron Friday (?????????????) and goes on the road to take on Marcus at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
“The competition we are getting in district has been great,” Brinkman said. “It’s helping everyone out and in playoffs, I can see us all going very far.”
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: Coppell «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
