A Look Back At The Lady Eagles Historic Season
The 2023 Texas High School Volleyball season was a historic one for the Como-Pickton Lady Eagles, winning 28 games and making it to the Area Round of the playoffs. Though their season recently came to an end, their accomplishments will be remembered by the fans and the program for a long time to come.
The Lady Eagles set the tone for what they were hoping to accomplish early in the season, getting out to a strong start in non-district play. Despite their early season schedule featuring teams much bigger than them, they were still able to enter district play with a record of 18-10.
“My expectations this season were to get first place in district and win the first playoff game in school history,” second-year head coach Celeste Garcia said. “The goals and expectations for the season were clear and the athletes were ready to work and make those things happen!”
That was clear from the very beginning of district play, as they would win their first four district games, all but one of which were in straight sets. Their first, and only loss of district play came to the North Hopkins Lady Panthers on the road.
While both teams fought hard and forced the game to go five sets, the Lady Panthers walked away victorious, setting themselves up for a district championship.
Como-Pickton didn’t let the loss get to them, as they would win their next four games, setting themselves up for a rematch with North Hopkins. A win in this one would setup a tiebreaker to decide the seeding for postseason action and decide who would be the district champion.
The game was another back-and-forth battle, with Como-Pickton finding themselves down two sets to one. The Lady Eagles would win each of the next two sets, winning the game and setting up the tiebreaker for the district.
In that one it was all North Hopkins, as they dominated in straight sets, though both teams were now ready for postseason action.
In the Bi-District round the Lady Eagles went up against Sam Rayburn, looking for the first playoff win in program history. Como-Pickton was able to do exactly that, winning the game in straight sets and advancing to the Area Round for the first time ever.
“Being apart of a long-awaited success story is truly special,” Garcia said. “My role in preparing the players was a small part. The dedication and effort from the athletes made it happen.”
“The Bi-District championship and the intense battle in the area championship will forever be unforgettable moments,” Garcia added. “Their hustle undoubtedly made history for the Como-Pickton Volleyball program.”
In the Area Round the Lady Eagles were matched up against the No. 7 ranked team in the state, Nocona. While Nocona walked away with the win, the Lady Eagles gave them an incredibly tough fight, forcing the game to go five sets.
“The time and effort my athletes invest in the volleyball program are invaluable. I have been blessed to have been a small part of this success of the Como-Pickton Volleyball progamn,” Garcia said. “Team work- coming together in the beginning, keeping together is process, working together is success!”
While their historic season may have come to an end, Garcia and the Lady Eagles volleyball program believe this is just the first step.
“The future looks bright for our volleyball program,” Garcia reflected. “The younger groups coming up can help build onto the foundation of success laid by the current team can indeed inspire and propel the younger players.”
