The Lake Highlands volleyball team is traditionally led by a strong core of senior players. This year’s team is no exception, but this group of seniors has faced more challenges than those of the past.
For starters, out of the five seniors on the team, (Christina Flanagan, Caroline Henton, Rachel Peters, Melanie Trostel and Rachael Zreet) only Henton saw regular playing time on the varsity squad last year.
"This group of seniors isn’t as experienced as they have been in the past, but we make up for experience with heart," said Henton.
LH showed plenty of heart in defeating Rowlett on Tuesday night, 25-23, 25-21, 25-18. The win earned the Wildcats a return trip the 5A Region II tournament in Huntsville. LH will play Georgetown on Friday.
Sticking with the team’s Michael Jackson theme this season, the seniors have proclaimed themselves the "Wildcat Five" and have embraced their new coach, Melissa Christman, after the retirement of Cory Williams, who led the team for the previous seven years.
All five of the girls have made major contributions to the team and all understand their roles as leaders.
"If one of us is playing poorly, then it is the job of the seniors to encourage them and help them focus on the next point, not worry about the last one," Trostel said.
After last year’s team reached the state semifinals, expectations were high for this team, especially the seniors. Even after suffering some early-season losses (LH is now 31-12), the seniors were determined to duplicate the accomplishments from a year ago.
"Most people in Lake Highlands expect the volleyball team to go to state every year," Trostel said. "We don’t want to disappoint them."
The Wildcats have found their groove at just the right time, having won their last seventeen matches.
This year’s seniors expect a strong senior presence for years to come.
"Our program has done well over the past couple of years," Henton said. "When we win, more girls want to play volleyball for Lake Highlands."
Whenever the seniors play their last match, they will be able to look back on this season and know that they have fought through the hard times to find success.
