JV Orange Volleyball Narrowly Concedes to Lake Travis Cavaliers
Rising above the net, outside hitter Kate Petty ’26 takes a swing. Both teams featured strong spikes on the offensive consistently, leaving the defensive players to deal with the powerful hits.
Cheered on by her teammates, libero Tate McCarthy ’25 launches a free ball over the net. Free balls and out-of-system plays were abundant throughout the whole game, but the players maintained their composure still.
With defensive players to back her up, freshman setter Dakota Hodge throws herself into a backset for hitter Kate Petty ’26. Rapid hit-set combos from both of the team’s setters largely contributed to the Warriors’ early lead in the first set.
After a particularly momentous point, freshmen Mia Massey, Taylor Thiemer, and Tate McCarthy jump and cheer in excitement. Throughout the majority of the game, morale and energy was high, regardless of the score.
After two sets of battling neck and neck, the JV Orange volleyball team ultimately conceded to Lake Travis by the end of the second set on Tuesday, Aug. 30. The score was tied up for the majority of the game, with each team pulling ahead for only a couple points at a time up until the end of the second set when the home team’s momentum fell short.
The game opened with an immediate lead for the Warriors after a powerful serve and, mere seconds later, an impressive dig from setter Dakota Hodge ‘26. The Warriors continued to blaze ahead, featuring a couple of strong set-kill combos from Hodge and outside hitter Emily Morel ‘25. Westwood held the lead to 23-21, after which Lake Travis had used both of their timeouts to try and stop the momentum. After the second timeout, the Cavaliers clinched the first point and were able to scramble to a 27-25 first-set win.
“I think our first set was really good,” Hodge said. “My setting’s been off a little bit recently, but this game, it was pretty good for the most part.”
After the teams switched sides, Warrior morale was still high. Cheering on the court and the sidelines was abundant and remained that way until Lake Travis accumulated a four-point lead near the middle of the second half. Westwood called a timeout, and the volume on the home side of the court decreased considerably. Those lost spirits were never quite recovered, and Lake Travis was able to make it to a 25-12 victory with a barrage of powerful spikes and deep serves. But though the energy on the court was changed, the Warriors walked off the court with chins held high.
“I think something we should all work on as a team is our energy,” Hodge said. “Energy is one of the biggest things that keeps a team going and moving and all that.”
JV Orange will play their next game on Friday, Aug. 2, at Waco Midway High School.
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