THS99

And that's a wrap for 1st in this district. Looks like 2-4 is really anyone's guess between Sterling, GCM, Nederland, & PNG. I wonder if Crosby can spoil it for anyone or sneak into 4th?

People had the opportunity to do right by the kids (athletically and academically) and vote for a unified HS, but preferred to settle for participation awards instead of real competition. Until Baytown corrects that mistake, results like this will be the norm.

Yes and no. Playing your kids in the right spots is a decent portion of it, but there are other things going on there. Many high school coaches won't admit it, but a lot of their elite/better players are almost all products of club volleyball. It doesn't mean that you can't have a competitive HS team without club players, it just means the coach (and staff) better be really good at establishing fundamental concepts in their non-club players. Solid defense (passing and net play) and serving can keep you in many matches when your team's offensive skills, or overall talent, don't compare. Essentially, keep the ball alive and have the other team make mistakes. IMO, you don't need club to instill solid defense and serving in players, just takes effort and the proper know-how. However, it looks like Sterling figured something out last night.

Sterling has the ability to beat GCM, but it will be their coaching that holds them back.

This situation seems, at least on the surface, to be similar to when Gage took over at BH. It felt like Gage didn't realize the skill set of the players already in the program and was just too stubborn/inflexible with his offensive scheme to properly utilize the talent he had. Is this a fair assessment of what is going on right now at Crosby or is it deeper than that?

I think the top three will stay the same with maybe a little bit of a fight between Sterling and PNG; Crosby is cooked. All in all, it's just an extremely uncompetitive volleyball district. If BH gets bumped up in the next realignment, then maybe they will actually have some competition in VB because it's been YEARS since they have seen anything here. A district record of 41-1 since 2020 pretty much speaks volumes. My guess is that by the end of this season, their record will be 51-1 in the district since the last realignment.

I think this clip from The Last Dance sums it up pretty clearly. - [Hidden Content]

Per the Houston Chronicle's High School Sports section, "Barbers Hill is 19-0 all-time versus Goose Creek Memorial.". Ouch.

I’m aware of the records for each team, wins and losses. The level of competition that BH has played is vastly superior to what GCM has faced. BH’s losses are against really good, and a few exceptional, teams. Let’s be honest, GCM’s losses are just against teams. I am fully expecting BH to win in 3, hence the district will be decided on Tuesday.

Looks like this district will be pretty much decided on Tuesday, BH vs GCM @ BH.

I would say it's pretty much a pick'em.

GCM over PAM (25-5, 25-16, 25-16) BH over Lee (25-6, 25-9, 25-6) Sterling over Crosby (25-21, 25-21, 25-18)

Goose Creek Memorial def. PNG, 25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 25-10 and the BH v Crosby score was BH3 Crosby 0 (25-15, 25-11, 25-9)

Gage’s offensive scheme wasted, and drove away, real talent. Just a complete failure of a hire. If Crosby’s new coach is analogous to Gage then there is no hope for them to reach their full potential.

Looks like TVI has updated its area rankings. Interesting to see the difference between TVI and the Houston Chronicle's rankings. 1. Grand Oaks (30-1, 3-0) | Previous: 1 2. Cinco Ranch (19-5, 3-0) | Previous: 2 3. Cypress Ranch (18-5) | Previous: 3 4. Stratford (22-6) | Previous: 4 5. Barbers Hill (22-7) | Previous: 5 6. Tompkins (15-8, 2-1) | Previous: 6 7. Fulshear (19-4) | Previous: 7 8. Columbus (24-5) | Previous: 8 9. Foster (18-6) | Previous: 9 10. Humble (23-2) | Previous: 10 Honorable Mention: Friendswood, Montgomery, Episcopal, Clear Springs, Dawson, Tomball Memorial, Pearland, Langham Creek, Bridgeland. Pasadena.

Agreed on why using MaxPreps is good for the girls. Now the issue of incomplete and inaccurate stats is a MAJOR problem (historically some coaches will pad stats, shift stats from player to player, or omit errors completely), but ignoring MaxPreps completely robs the girls of visibility & recognition.

The sad reality of high school volleyball is that the sport is now highly dependent on club-level volleyball. Not saying that schools can't be successful without a strong local, or regional, club presence...but it is highly unlikely. From what I have seen in the triangle, the club volleyball presence is just not that strong. Another issue could be the overall quality of coaching. Not all high school VB coaches are bad, some are good, but MANY are stuck playing the game they knew....maybe....20 years ago. Just like all sports, strategies evolve and volleyball is no different.

Maybe it's a logistics/travel issue? However, if you want to realistically compete against BH in the district and go more than 1 round deep, then you are going to have to start playing a non-conference schedule that challenges and pushes you. Based on their current schedule, Oak Ridge might be the most BH comparable team (and that's a stretch) they have played; 0-2 record.

Looks like Sterling beat Pasadena, (25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 25-14). Snaps a 4-match losing streak and rebounds them from a rough Clear Creek tournament (1-7).

Probably the best rankings site for the state, but not sure how they have Pearland ahead of Barbers Hill in the Houston area ranking.

Agree, not sure what the gripe is all about here.

They are not as strong as they were last year, but are still a good team. Losing some of their offensive firepower has definitely hurt them this year.

Atascocita isn't that bad, not world-beaters, but it wouldn't surprise me if they come out on top of their district.

Based on some reviews, just slightly under the 2007 Patriots.