Abilene High coach remembers first playoff experience as Lady Eagles' player in 2006
Caroline Cleveland remembers her first volleyball playoff match. Well, her second really.
After playing on the Abilene High JV her sophomore year in 2006, she was pulled up to the varsity for the playoffs that year. The Lady Eagles beat Burleson 3-0 in the opener, but it’s that second-round match against Amarillo High that’s still burned in Cleveland’s memory.
It was a big stage, literally, with the match being played in Texas Tech’s arena.
“It was very nerve-racking,” said Cleveland, a 2009 Abilene High graduate. “The lights were so bright. I remember being so nervous, and (thinking), ‘I can’t find the ball.’”
Cleveland didn’t expect to play in the match, being a young reserve player.
“I didn’t expect to touch the court. My job was to cheer,” Cleveland said.
But she did end up playing a few minutes in a 3-0 loss to the eventual state champions.
“It was unreal,” Cleveland said. “It was scary, but exciting at the same time. I’d never played in a big arena like that my entire life.”
Come Tuesday, Cleveland’s Abilene High team returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. The Lady Eagles (16-20) play Amarillo Tascosa (23-17) in a Region I-5A bi-district match at Lubbock Estacado.
It's a pretty big first for the Lady Eagles, as well as Cleveland, who will make her postseason debut has AHS’ second-year coach.
“We’re excited,” Cleveland said. “We’ve studied film, and we’ve talked about it, talked about the atmosphere and just enjoy every moment. All we can do is treat it like another game day.”
Tascosa, the District 3-5A runner-up, lost to Wylie 3-0 in the first round last season after finishing third in district. The Lady Rebels, who lost to Cooper 3-1 the year before, did go two rounds in 2019, beating El Paso Franklin 3-2 before losing to Euless Trinity 3-2.
Tascosa had consecutive state semifinal appearances in 2000-01. The Lady Rebels reached the state finals in 1985 and the state semifinals in 1989.
AHS, playing its first season in the UIL’s second-largest class after always being in the biggest, finished third in District 4-5A behind Lubbock-Cooper and Wylie.
Cleveland has much postseason experience as a player. After going two rounds in 2006, the Lady Eagles reached the Region I-5A (now 6A) semifinals her junior year in 2007, losing to Arlington High 3-1 at McMurry.
Ironically, it was Tascosa that beat AHS in the second round her senior year after the Lady Eagles beat Mansfield 3-0 in the first round.
Cleveland is taking the same approach as her former coach, Didi Pearce, did with the Lady Eagles back then.
“I’m just going to treat it like a normal game,” Cleveland said. “I think that’s the best thing she did for us. She just went in there, made us feel confident and knew that we could do it. ‘You’ve made it this far, why can’t you make it another round? This is no different.’ That’s how we viewed it.”
Not that Cleveland isn’t still adjusting to the idea she’s actually taking a team to the playoffs.
“I find it surreal at times,” Cleveland said. “We’re proud of the girls as a coaching staff, and I don’t see why we can’t take it. It’s going to be a good match. They’re always good, but we’re good, too. We’re going to come out on top. The girls believe that, as well. They want it. They’re hungry and ready for more.”
The AHS-Tascosa winner plays the El Paso Hanks (25-10)-El Paso Andress (10-18) winner in the second round. Hanks won District 2.
Lady Coogs draw Amarillo High
The AHS-Tascosa match is part of a doubleheader at Estacado. Cooper (17-19) plays District 3 champion Amarillo High (31-9) at 5 p.m. Tuesday in the opener.
The winner plays the El Paso Del Valle (24-8)-El Paso Jefferson (20-12) winner in the second round.
While Nora Campbell, Cooper’s 19th-year coach, is no stranger to the postseason, it’s the first playoff experience for her entire team. They were all first-year varsity players last year and didn’t make the playoffs.
“We’re proud of them, and we’ve wanted them to get this playoff experience,” Campbell said. “They’ve been very dedicated to our program, and they’ve worked really hard. We’ve got to experience this as coaches and players ourselves. We want them to experience the playoffs, because we know how much fun it is.”
The Lady Cougars, the fourth seed from District 4, draw a storied program in Amarillo High. The Lady Sandies have played in 17 state tournaments – winning 10, the last as a 6A team in 2016.
Amarillo High hasn’t lost a first-round playoff match since 1991, when Abilene High pulled off the feat before losing in the third round. The Lady Sandies have gone at least three rounds ever since.
Campbell notched her first postseason win as Cooper’s coach in 2020, and it was the Lady Coogs’ first postseason win since 2002. They went three rounds in 2020.
“We can find a lot of confidence in that we finished third that year and we were able to beat Tascosa,” Campbell said. “Tascosa and Amarillo High are exactly equal this year. … I think it gives us a sense of confidence.”
Tascosa nearly shared the district title with Amarillo High this year, losing the final meeting 3-2.
“Yeah, it’s going to be tough, but it’s always doable,” Campbell said. “Matchups matter. How you matchup with a team and the type of game you play can really make a difference. But we don’t expect it to be easy. We always expect to have to work hard for it.”
Wylie ready for its playoff trek
Wylie (24-16) draws Amarillo Caprock (22-17) at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Levelland High School.
The winner plays either District 1 champion El Paso High (31-7) or Horizon (14-14).
As the No. 2 seed from District 4-5A, the Lady Bulldogs draw a team with far less postseason experience. This is Caprock’s first playoff berth in 40 years.
The Lady Bulldogs also picked up a big win over Lubbock-Cooper in the regular-season finale, dealing the District 4-5A champion Lady Pirates their only loss in league play with a 3-0 win.
“I do feel good about the 2-seed, definitely,” Wylie coach Shay Cox said. “The Lubbock-Cooper win, that definitely gave us some confidence – beating a team that this group of girls had never beaten before. And putting a mark on their undefeated (district) record, that was nice. I think it’s going to help give us momentum going into the playoffs.”
Wylie went three rounds in the postseason last year, losing to Canyon Randall, which dropped to 4A this year, and Cox expects another deep run.
“My expectations are to do just as well as we did last year, if not one round more,” Cox said. “I feel like we’re getting stronger each week. We do have a tendency to let down a little bit in some matches, but we keep fighting and we always play hard.”
The Lady Bulldogs made three state tournament appearances in the UIL's third-largest class before moving up in 2018. They won a state title in 2012, after reaching the finals in 2011 and semifinals in 2010.
Cooper also won a state title in 1966.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene High, Cooper, Wylie open volleyball playoffs Tuesday
