Texas HS Playoffs: Cy-Fair vs. Ridge Point – Top Performers
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It’s playoffs time in the high school season in the state of Texas and the next two weeks will be the most intense and exciting of the year, with elimination places narrowing the list of contenders until division winners emerge…
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Continue ReadingIt’s playoffs time in the high school season in the state of Texas and the next two weeks will be the most intense and exciting of the year, with elimination places narrowing the list of contenders until division winners emerge in Garland on November 18.
More than ever, Prep Dig will be out there following matches around the Lone Star State as we continue to provide coverage of the most successful programs in Texas.
On Friday, November 3, the area round came to an end and I was at the Berry Center, in Cypress, to watch the Division 6A match between the Cy-Fair Lady Bobcats and the Ridge Point Panthers.
The second-best team in District 17, the Lady Bobcats upset the District 20 winners Ridge Point in five sets (23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 26-28, 15-11) and will now play the Cinco Ranch Cougars in the regional quarterfinals next week.
Top Performers
The sophomore outside hitter played an unbelievable match, carrying Cy-Ranch’s offense and scoring at an excellent rate against a Ridge Point team that is very strong defensively. It was probably the most consistent I ever saw Muoneke play as she started the match very well and kept the same rhythm until the end. She was set a lot and kept swinging until the end, displaying great efficiency even when she was in the middle back position and making very few errors considering her high usage. Muoneke also made some strong defensive plays, generating transition opportunities for her team.
The senior setter was a great leader for the Lady Bobcats and thrived with an intelligent execution of the team’s game plan. Byerly noticed early on that Muoneke was poised to have a strong night and concentrated the team’s offense on her, making the most of her best weapon, but she always kept the other hitters involved. Very crafty, she also had some success by setting the ball over in the second or even the first contact when she had a chance, catching Ridge Point off guard. Byerly stepped up with two massive blocks at the start of set five that allowed Cy-Fair to create some separation in a critical moment of the match. She also played very good defense.
Highlights
Claire Kody
Claire Kody
The senior right side only played the net rotations, but made a big impact, responding well when she was called upon. Kody had a good performance offensively, using her reach well to score, and came up big at the start of set five, swinging to score some important points – she also got a critical block to end set three. The right side was also very conscious and patient offensively by avoiding unforced errors when she wasn’t in a good position to score, placing the ball in difficult spots and forcing Ridge Point to earn the point.
Emily Abad
Emily Abad
The senior libero had an excellent match, covering a lot of ground in serve-receive and freeing Muoneke up to focus on scoring points. She was often targeted by Ridge Point servers but kept her team in system for most of the match. Abad was also very active on defense, generating several opportunities for the Lady Bobcats to score in transition and also causing a positive mental impact on the team – she was particularly strong in that area in set four. The libero also had good serving runs and set well in transition when she had to.
Cy-Fair’s second outside hitter also made big contributions to the team’s success, playing at a consistent level on both sides of the ball. Smith was excellent with her passing and her duo with Abad gave the Lady Bobcats a lot of stability. Offensively, despite not having Muoneke’s physical tools, she also did a very good job, finding good angles and smart solutions to beat Ridge Point’s blocking and defense, while also making very few errors. She also did a good job on defense.
Highlights
The junior outside hitter was the only one of Ridge Point’s key players to perform somewhat near her usual level. Rogers’ offense was excellent for most of the match and kept the Panthers in the game in moments when not much more was working for them. She had good success swinging in the left and from the middle back position and also contributed defensively, making several acrobatic saves. Rogers also displayed strong leadership, leading the talks during timeouts and communicating with her teammates the entire time. Her topspin jump serve didn’t work as well as on other occasions, which also made things difficult for her team.
Despite not playing at her usual level, like most of the team, the versatile senior once again helped Ridge Point in a variety of ways. She started the match playing setter/right side and was doing a fine job there, but was moved back to her original outside hitter position in set four as the Panthers looked for more stability in their passing. The move worked out well as Battle delivered that and even scored the game-winning point in set four in a very tense moment of the match.