By Moses Leos III.
It was another tough season for the Lehman volleyball team, as the 10-21-1 record shows.
Lehman senior Haley Rohde tries to notch a point in the Lady Lobos’ final match against Boerne Champion on Oct. 29. (Photo by Moses Leos III) |
Though there were struggles, the team also improved upon previous years. The 2013 squad managed to earn two hard fought district wins during their campaign.
A remarkable feat, when you consider the Lady Lobos went winless in district over a two-year stretch.
It all changed on Oct. 8 on the road at Lockhart. Lehman cruised to a 3-1 victory, notching their first district win since Oct. 2011. Lehman went on to win one more district game ten days later against Seguin.
Improving was a main goal for the entire team. With no seniors on last year’s squad, Senior Aleeya Eskridge believed the team had the ability to excel.
“Going an entire year without winning (a district match) was hard. When we came back this season, we had that in the forefront of our minds,” Eskridge said after their final match on Oct. 29. “To go out our senior year and say we had district wins, when we had none last year, meant a lot.”
Senior Haley Rohde felt the Lady Lobos were able to improve play as the year moved on.
“Our coach (Megan Cooper) always says, ‘better the ball,’ meaning make the next play better than the last,” Rohde said on Oct. 29. “That’s what I think we did this season.”
That was apparent in the Lobos’ final regular season match against district champion Boerne Champion.
While they dropped the match in straight sets, the Lady Lobos fought hard in the final set, continuing to battle until the bitter end. It was indicative of the moxie the group held all season.
“Everyone wanted one last kill, one last ace, one last dig,” Rohde said. “We were striving to go out swinging.”
Cooper was pleased with the overall growth of the team. While she felt there were matches that were winnable, she understands her program continues to rise.
“I wish our district record reflected the effort and improvement we had {this season],” Cooper said. “We’re still building, we’re still growing.”
