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PREVIEW: Gunter Volleyball focuses on the road to a repeat
Coming off of a high after finally defeating Bushland in the UIL 3A Volleyball State Championships, Gunter is geared up and ready to continue working this season. VYPE DFW takes a look at previous seasons and lays out exactly what fans can expect this season:
REWIND
Finishing undefeated in district since the 2020 volleyball season, the Gunter Lady Tigers have been on the prowl since this squad’s seniors were freshmen. In their third time to face Bushland in the state finals, Gunter put everything they had to the test and came away victorious last season. With a 43-6 overall record, the team posted a 22-game win streak before sealing their season with a championship victory.
Dropping only a single set through the playoffs and only dropping 26 sets all season, the Lady Tigers blindsided Prairiland (3-0), Ponder (3-0), Edgewood (3-1), Tatum (3-0), Emory Rains (3-0), Columbus (3-0), and Bushland (3-0) through every moment on the court. With a championship mindset, the team became everything they had worked to be.
LOOKING AHEAD
A smaller school in the state, Gunter has several new athletes. More importantly, they have strong returners who have been impactful leaders on the squad since their freshman season like Berkeley Caple, Breeze Mauldin, Makena Fady, and Aubrey Burchfield. With the team continually improving and proving itself, fans can expect this season to be much like the last.
Opening the season on the road with a 3-0 victory against Frisco Panther Creek, Gunter is off to a great start. Posting more victories over Garland Naaman Forest (2-0), El Paso Montwood (2-0), Frisco (2-1), and more, the Lady Tigers can be expected to have a phenomenal rest of preseason play. Focusing on the controllables and sharpening their skillset as well as game IQ has been a common theme for this squad. As they inch toward district play, it’s quite possible that this could be one of the best teams to watch in the 2023-24 season. Be sure to catch them in action as district play starts September 8th at home against Howe.
Gunter Brings home Volleyball State Title
In their third-straight UIL Volleyball State Tournament appearance, the Gunter Lady Tigers have secured their first state title. The team posted a semifinal victory over Columbus before headed to the state finals which would prove to be a successful revenge match against Bushland.
It took only three sets for the Lady Tigers volleyball squad to add the 2022-23 season title to their resume. During the sweep over Bushland, Gunter fought tooth-and-nail down to the wire in the first set going 29-27. The second set saw much of the same grit from both sides of the net before Gunter took set two 25-23.
Building from the momentum of the first two sets, the Lady Tigers got to work in set three posting a 25-20 victory to secure the championship for the team. Gunter senior Rayanna Mauldin was awared the UIL Class 3A Championship match MVP after posting 16 kills, two blocks, and seven digs.
Coach Gill spoke to the senior class following Gunter's victory: "We had great senior leadership communicating in that huddle... it shows a lot of maturity from the kids." She credited her athletes for taking ownership of their time on the court. That ownership helped lead the squad to a season capped with a crown!