DRIPPING SPRINGS — Dripping Spring head volleyball coach Michael Kane commemorated his 900th career win after the Lady Tigers defeated Hays High School Hawks in three straight sets 25-13, 25-18, 25-15 on Sept. 3.
“It certainly means I’m old — I’ve been doing this a very long time — but honestly, I’m just blessed,” Kane said, adding that it’s hard to keep up with, but he figured he’d been coaching about 24 years and has been at Dripping Springs for 12 years.
The math averages more than 37 wins per season and the Lady Tigers are now 33-1 and haven’t yet started district play.
Kane said it wasn’t done by himself and a lot of kids and coaches have been a part of the 900 wins since he’s had the privilege of being a head coach.
Lady Tigers' volleyball heritage goes a way back.
Dripping Springs won the girls State Basketball and Volleyball Championship in 1994 in Class 3A. The void in state appearances is evident prior to Kane’s arrival.
Dripping Springs’ girls volleyball teams have made seven appearances at the state tournament: 1994, 2013 (4A), 2014 (5A), 2015, 2018, 2020, 2022 (6A). Kane and the Lady Tigers first won state in 2015 when they set school records of: 51 wins; best winning percentage: 0.944; 37 game win streak; least losses: three; and most digs: 2,689. Kane and the Lady Tigers weren’t intimidated when switching from 5A to 6A in 2022, winning state their first year in the top classification.
“I’ve never been fearful of taking a loss and it’s a big part of this,” Kane said. “Year in and year out it’s important we play the best competition and it speaks volumes for our program. We’re trying to get some different looks now and give kids an opportunity to get experience and later on if we get into trouble, we can rely on kids that have some good game experience. It’s not just free play time they have to come in and prove what they can do against a formidable opponent.”
Dripping Springs has three such opponents in a row when they begin district play hosting Bowie (16-5) on Tuesday, Sept. 17 and then Westlake (18-12) on Friday, Sept. 20 with a 6:30 p.m. start for both games. Lake Travis is an away game at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept.
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“The hard part is sustaining a focus and an effort. Anytime you’re as talented and gifted as this group, a lot of good teams can look not so good, but regardless of what the score is we have to maintain focus,” Kane said. “When we’re clicking, we’re pretty scary good.”
Christa Wilborn, a junior transfer from Regents, a private school in Austin, said she was well aware of the program’s expectations.
“The coaching staff and coach Kane are great and I love our team. Expectations are really high and I want to play at that level, but it’s something I have to work for every day,” Wilborn said. “Playing time doesn’t come easy. It’s nice to have so many good players around me that challenge me every day and it helps make me a better player.”
PHOTO BY WAYLAND D. CLARK Dripping Springs’ Christa Wilborn drives the ball between two Hays defenders for one of her seven kills in the 3-0 win over the visiting Hawks on Sept. 3. Wilborn also had a pair of ace serves and four digs. Henley Anderson led the team in kills with 10.
