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BUYING IN: Jones attributes HCHS resurgence to community; culture
Not unlike their school counterparts on the football field, Houston Christian volleyball has experienced a revival recently.
After taking over the team three years ago, head coach Zshanelle Jones started from scratch. The culture exploded after her arrival, to the point where the Mustangs have over 50 athletes that span across the various teams at the school.
“The volleyball program has undergone an extraordinary transformation due to the power of our community and our culture,” she said. “We stepped in and faced a lot of challenges, mainly in terms of mindset and creating an environment of high-level volleyball."
Houston Christian Volleyball SeniorsBradley C. Collier (VYPE)
“Fast forward to today, we’ve been doing really well and have found a new drive with athletic competition in the gym. At this point, we’re the largest female athletic program in the school, and that’s because we fostered that sense of family and community to overcome those challenges.”
It hasn’t always been easy, but nothing worth having ever is.
“I think that my team’s greatest strength would be our resiliency,” said Jones. “We face adversity but we never give up. Because the love is there, we won’t give up on each other, no matter the challenges.”
Jones has had plenty of stars to depend on – particularly her captains Emma Samuelson (Sr. OH), Madison Krieger (Sr. S), Karli Kapche (Sr. DS) and Oyinkansola Ajimotokan (Sr. OH/MH) – who she says have “very much been the glue and the core of shifting the culture while setting the expectation.”
That buy-in has evidently paid off, now that Houston Christian currently ranks fourth in the conference. A possible second seed in SPC-3A Tournament is on the horizon, which begins November 2nd.
“Ultimately, our goal is to finish strong,” she said. “We want to take State this year. Collectively, we should be able to take care of business. The growth over the last few years should reflect that at the conclusion of this season."
The ultimate goal is an SPC Title, but one step at a time.
CHECKING BOXES: Multiple H-Town VB squads secure District Titles
What a week for H-Town Volleyball!
Pearland turned the tables in Class 6A, after toppling their district rival Dawson, which has propelled the Oilers to a potential district title. Similarly, The Woodlands defeated College Park in four sets, after falling to the Cavaliers earlier in the season, which secures the Highlanders in their district's No. 2 spot, behind a relentless Grand Oaks squad that's only tallied one loss on the season.
Not much has changed in Class 5A, with each of our top-5 winning both of their respective matchups last week. However, Montgomery and Manvel are surging at the perfect time, with only a couple of weeks remaining in the regular season.
The biggest headline in the private school scene is undoubtedly Lutheran South's 3-2 nail-biter victory over fellow TAPPS-5A title-contender FBCA. Given that these two clubs have a season-split against each other, it will be interesting to see how a potential tie-breaker will play out in the postseason. Additionally, Legacy Prep looks primed for a deep run in the playoffs.
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THE VYPE RANKINGS
Class 6A Top 20 (Numbers in parentheses indicate current record)
1. Grand Oaks Grizzlies (40-1; 14-0 in district)
2. Cinco Ranch Cougars (30-5; 14-0 in district)
3. Stratford Spartans (34-6; 11-0 in district)
4. Cypress Ranch Mustangs (30-5; 11-0 in district)
5. Deer Park Deer (29-9; 9-0 in district)
6. Pearland Oilers (31-10; 9-1 in district)
7. Tomball Memorial Wildcats (33-8; 11-0 in district)
8. Katy Tompkins Falcons (25-9; 11-2 in district)
9. Pearland Dawson Eagles (31-9; 8-1 in district)
10. The Woodlands Highlanders (29-14; 11-3 in district)
11. Langham Creek Lobos (31-9; 9-2 in district)
12. Clear Springs Chargers (29-12; 10-0 in district)
13. Ridge Point Panthers (28-13; 13-1 in district)
14. College Park Cavaliers (21-8; 10-3 in district)
15. Fort Bend Austin Bulldogs (25-14; 11-2 in district)
16. Atascocita Eagles (24-10; 11-0 in district)
17. Bridgeland Bears (24-12; 8-3 in district)
18. Seven Lakes Spartans (23-14; 10-3 in district)
19. Tomball Cougars (23-11; 9-2 in district)
20. Dobie Longhorns (29-7; 8-2 in district)
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Class 5A Top 10
1. Barbers Hill Eagles (34-7; 11-0 in district)
2. Friendswood Mustangs (22-9; 9-0 in district)
3. Fulshear Chargers (31-4; 11-0 in district)
4. Foster Falcons (28-8; 10-1 in district)
5. Baytown Sterling Rangers (18-14; 8-3 in district)
6. Montgomery Bears (25-16; 5-6 in district)
7. Manvel Mavericks (20-17; 8-1 in district)
8. Magnolia West Mustangs (16-16; 6-5 in district)
9. Goose Creek Memorial Patriots (22-14; 6-5 in district)
10. Magnolia Bulldogs (18-17; 5-6 in district)
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Private School Top 10
1. Lutheran South Academy Pioneers (34-7; 11-1 in district)
2. Fort Bend Christian Academy Eagles (28-4; 11-1 in district)
3. Concordia Lutheran Crusaders (29-11; 4-1 in district)
4. Episcopal Knights (28-10; 6-0 in district)
5. Legacy Prep Lions (25-3-4; 6-1 in district)
6. Rosehill Christian Eagles (21-8; 10-0 in district)
7. St. John's Mavericks (19-9; 6-1 in district)
8. Houston Christian Mustangs (11-14; 4-2 in district)
9. Kinkaid School Falcons (9-11; 3-3 in district)
10. The John Cooper School Dragons (17-9 3-3 in district)