Bump - Set - State!

St. Thomas Episcopal School varsity girls’ volleyball players (from left) Meredith Milholland, Hannah Burnett and Rachel Nolte.

With less than three weeks left in the season, the varsity girls’ volleyball team at Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School is gearing up for the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Freshmen were not the only new addition to the team this year. Coach Kayle Ray started her first year with high expectations for the team.

“I had met some of the players over the summer when they came to clinics that I had held at my home gym. I knew that there were definitely some girls that could play, and a lot of girls with a whole bunch of potential,” said Coach Ray.

At the beginning of the season, the team had to adjust to a rigorous level of conditioning, but their perseverance led to wins. The long hours of drilling, running stairs, sprinting, jumping rope, and working out helped to create camaraderie among every teammate. The workouts were tough, but the team came together and cheered each other through every last drill.

As the season went on and the team realized that the conditioning let them push harder for longer periods of time, they came to appreciate the long hours dedicated to their physical improvement.

“At the beginning of the season everybody sees me as a three-headed monster that just pushes and pushes until I get what I want, and I am used to it. I condition hard and practice harder, but it's all for the benefit of the team. Halfway through the season, the girls start seeing results. They see that the tough practices were worth it and begin to understand the method behind my madness,” explains Coach Ray.

The team’s first tournament was in Pearland competing against top rated teams from around the Houston area.

“Coming out of the Pearland tournament, we knew we had a lot of work to do, but that winning was possible,” said Coach Ray.

The second tournament was in Spring Branch, and the third was against the top private schools in and around Houston. By the time the team went into districts, they had played public and private school teams with all different types of classifications. The team ended districts undefeated with ten wins, a very happy coach and a thrilled STE student section.

“I am so proud of how the team has progressed, and I'm having a blast with them. I'm so excited for playoffs. We are physically and mentally ready to play and win,” said Coach Ray.

Playoffs began on Thursday, Oct. 30, but STE played the winner of that game, Austin School for the Deaf, on Tuesday, Nov. 3. STE won the match and will play on Saturday at a neutral site between Houston and San Antonio. From there, the team goes to the Semifinals and then on to State (Nov. 12-14).

Coach Ray wants her team to commit fully to the playoffs. “I don't want any of these girls to have any regrets at the end of the season. I want them to be able to say, ‘I left it all on that court’.”