The Sachse volleyball team celebrates a point won during Tuesday’s 3-1 playoff-clinch win over Rowlett. Photo by Ashley Hudson / C&S Media
By Devin Hasson
Every program endures its ups and downs over the years, but the Sachse volleyball team has been an exception to the rule.
Since their inaugural season in 2004, the Mustangs have never missed the playoffs, winning several district championships along the way.
But heading into the final week of the regular season, Sachse experienced an unusual feeling — uncertainty.
While the Mustangs are usually designing their playoff T-shirts by this time, there was still work to be done. Sachse entered the final week in a three-team battle with Rowlett and Garland for the final two playoff spots.
The Mustangs had a chance Tuesday to extend their Garland ISD record of consecutive playoff appearances to 23 seasons. Although it was not easy, they did just that, claiming a 25-18, 21-25, 25-23, 25-18 victory over the Eagles at Rowlett High School.
Sachse improved to 8-5 in District 9-6A play, and while its playoff seeding has yet to be determined, the team knows it will be playing next week.
With a victory, the Eagles had a chance to forge a three-way tie for third place heading into Friday’s district finale. After dropping the opening set, they stormed back to even the match at one set apiece.
Rowlett got off to a fast start and led the second set from beginning to end. The Mustangs made a late push, and although they came up short, the momentum they built made a difference as the night progressed.
Sachse pulled out a tight battle in the third set to regain the advantage, then seized its opportunity in the fourth to close out the match.
“We did a good job building some momentum in the second set because we were so … I’ve never seen some of the things that I’ve seen tonight, just not staying calm and not trusting what we are going, which is not like us,” Sachse head coach Rikki Jones said. “So they did a good job coming back. It was not pretty volleyball, but it got the job done tonight and gives us more time to practice.”
The Eagles had already rallied once to tie the match, but the Mustangs took an early lead in the fourth set and never relinquished it.
Erin Patton recorded an early block, and Amaya Davis and Ella Smith delivered back-to-back kills to help Sachse gain the advantage. A four-point service run by Laney George, highlighted by two aces, extended the lead to 10-3.
Rowlett refused to go quietly. Kills from Fiona Buford and Casey-Marilyn Mills, along with a block from Katie Levvis, helped the Eagles close the gap to 12-10.
The Eagles were still within two points at 15-13 after a point from Nneoma Okorocha, but Sachse responded with an ace from Harper Holt and points from Fallin Whitmore, Jayla Butler and Smith to stretch the lead to 19-13.
The Mustangs kept Rowlett at arm’s length the rest of the way. Natallie Rainey delivered three kills down the stretch, including the winner on match point, to seal the 25-18 set victory and the four-set win.
“It was really big (Game 4) because you don’t want to go into a fifth set, so taking that third was big for momentum,” Jones said. “If you lose that one, then you’ve got to win two more, so they did a really good job of holding on to the one in the third game and then did a good job of closing it out.”
Sachse had swept the first district meeting between the teams, and it initially appeared the Mustangs might repeat that performance.
Smith dominated the opening set with 10 kills. Although Rowlett kept things close, the Eagles had no answer for the senior outside hitter. Smith recorded four kills during a mid-set surge that helped the Mustangs create some breathing room at 19-15.
Additional points from Smith and Rainey, followed by a kill from Butler on set point, finished off the 25-18 victory.
The Eagles flipped the script in the second set, leading from start to finish.
Buford delivered two early kills, and Thomas added another during a four-point run to open the set. Two more kills from Thomas and another from Okorocha helped Rowlett build a 15-7 lead.
Sachse fought back to within 19-17, but Buford stayed hot for the Eagles, adding three more kills down the stretch to even the match with a 25-21 victory.
Tied at one set apiece, the teams traded the lead four times early in the third before a quick burst allowed the Mustangs to move ahead 11-7.
A strong service run from Smith helped Sachse extend its advantage to six points, but Rowlett countered with a pair of points from Terrian Anderson to close within 17-15.
The Eagles then turned to Thomas, who delivered two kills and a block to help Rowlett take a late lead.
Sachse held its ground, however. Smith provided two more kills, Rainey added another, and Davis delivered the winner on set point to give the Mustangs a 25-23 victory.
Sachse carried that momentum into the fourth set and closed out the match.
The road to the playoffs is different every season. Although this year’s journey featured more twists and turns than usual, Jones said her team could appreciate overcoming adversity to reach its goal of returning to the postseason.
“It is special,” she said. “They are great kids and I love coaching them, but it is a different kind of scenario, day to day, on what we are working on and what we need to do. It is different, but I’m super proud of them because they have shown so much growth, and like tonight, when it got tight, they were able to hold on and find a way.”
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