Sachse junior outside hitter Natallie Rainey attempts to the ball around a Rockwall defender on Thursday at Rowlett High School. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media
By Art Stricklin
ROWLETT — Sachse’s volleyball season came to an end Thursday, but the Lady Mustangs showed the determination and resilience that defined their 2026 campaign.
Facing a powerful Rockwall squad in the Class 6A bi-district playoffs, Sachse battled throughout the match before falling 25-17, 25-7, 25-16 in straight sets.
Despite the loss, head coach Rikki Jones praised her team’s effort and refusal to give up.
“I’m really proud of their determination and fight in this game,” Jones said. “Even when they got down big in the second game, they came back and never quit in the third. That’s something to remember.”
Sachse, a District 9-6A representative, finished its season with a 20-21 overall record. Rockwall improved to 33-9 and advanced to the area round of the Class 6A playoffs.
The Lady Mustangs started quickly in the opening set, taking a 2-0 lead. It would be their only advantage of the match.
Rockwall responded with a strong run to build a 15-6 lead, putting Sachse in an early hole.
But the Lady Mustangs refused to fold.
Behind strong defensive play and timely offense, Sachse reeled off six consecutive points to cut the deficit to 15-12.
Although Rockwall eventually pulled away to win the opening set 25-17, Jones was encouraged by her team’s defensive effort.
“I thought we were a little off on ball control and that cost us some, but we played some good defense and had some nice blocks,” Jones said.
Jones singled out senior Amyah Davis for her performance in the middle, where she helped disrupt Rockwall’s attack with strong defensive play and blocks.
For Davis, the match marked the final appearance of her Sachse volleyball career.
While the Lady Mustangs will lose experienced players such as Davis, Jones also saw encouraging performances from younger members of the roster.
Sophomore outside hitter Khloe Ellis earned praise for her contributions, as did freshman Maddie Juarez, who filled multiple roles throughout the match.
Jones was particularly impressed by Juarez’s composure while playing libero.
“We threw her in as a freshman and I thought she was really steady at libero, which was really impressive.”
After Rockwall dominated the second set 25-7, Sachse continued to compete in the third.
Rockwall jumped out to an 11-5 advantage, forcing the Lady Mustangs to call a timeout.
Sachse responded with another rally, narrowing the deficit and keeping pressure on the Lady Yellowjackets before Rockwall closed out the 25-16 victory.
Throughout the match, a spirited Sachse crowd continued to encourage the Lady Mustangs inside the nearly full gym.
“Make them earn it” became a rallying cry from the stands as Sachse fought to extend its season.
Although the Lady Mustangs could not overcome Rockwall’s consistency, Jones said she was proud of the way her players responded to adversity.
“Rockwall is really tough, we already knew that, I thought they did a good job of controlling the ball and the serve, but we were able to take advantage of their defense a few time and never quit regardless of the score. That is the thing I’m most proud of,” said Jones.
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