Big senior class looking to pull off threepeat for Bushland volleyball
Within the "Lord of the Rings" novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, the character Bilbo Bagins writes a book called "There and Back Again." That would be an appropriate title for the Bushland Lady Falcons volleyball team.
Bushland went to state in the 2020 season and won it all. They went back again last year and took the crown for a second time. Now, the Lady Falcons begin play at the state tournament once again with the goal of pulling off a rare three-peat. That would be special regardless of the circumstance, but for an eight-person senior class, it would be extra special.
Even if they're trying not to think about it too much.
“Everybody has done a good job of handling their emotions," Bushland senior Madyson Eberly said. "There’s a lot of pressure, but we’ve been trying to use that pressure as motivation to get in the gym every day, work harder and work to improve ourselves.”
Eberly, Logan Culpepper, Jada Permenter and the other five seniors were just sophomores when Bushland won the first title and head coach Jason Culpepper noted that not all of them played much. Now, they're leaders of a 40-4 team that's won 27 matches in a row and, perhaps, more impressively, swept 19 contests in a row.
The elder Culpepper knows how important this crop of seniors has been to the Lady Falcons' dominance these past few years, including a 1 p.m. Thursday matchup against East Bernard inside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland.
“Madyson, Logan, Jada and Kaela Neie have been there all three years," Jason Culpepper said. "They have a lot of experience getting there and knowing what it takes. They’ve done a good job of helping everyone know their roles.
"The other (seniors) Camryn (Barton), Bayleigh Eason, Rachel (Russell), and Victoria (Vaughn), those girls have done a great job filling in roles and continuing to just get better and better with each game. They make sure everyone takes care of their business and fill in spots that sometimes get left out.”
There were certainly roles and voids to fill this year.
Jaycee Adams departed after last season and now plays at West Texas A&M. Four other seniors departed and that's before you factor in the loss of senior Emma Troxell, who opted to focus on basketball this season.
Yet, here the Lady Falcons are, back in the title game again on the backs of the large senior class. Eberly credits those who came before her for teaching the Ctlass of 2023 how to lead.
“I’ve learned a lot from the previous senior leaders," she said. "I’ve had a lot of great volleyball players that I’ve looked up to, so I’m just trying to apply what I’ve learned. Every senior on this team has a role and I think we all play our role very well. We just have to keep up with what we’re doing, stay consistent, work hard, have our best attitude and that way we can try to be successful and finish the year off great.”
Eberly will be playing college volleyball at Lubbock Christian University, while Permenter will be at Southwest Oklahoma State University. Logan Culpepper was the MVP of the regional tournament and Neie is a three-year varsity player.
It will be challenging to replace all of that production after this season.
However, it was challenging to replace seniors two years ago and arduous to replace Adams and Troxell this year.
Yet, the Lady Falcons managed to do so and performed in dominant fashion. Regardless of what happens this week, Bushland should remain competitive in the future.
"I think everyone has expectations in the area to get to state and win every year," Jason Culpepper said. "Once you win it and you’ve been there multiple years in a row that’s going to be a goal. Even after this year we graduate eight, so next year we’ll come down to Earth a little more. But for our level of play we’ll still be in the hunt for sure.”
For this week, though, the goal of getting back there again has been met. All that's left for this group is to put one more stamp on their already impressive legacy.
“I think we’ve added to the winning legacy which of course is something that you want to leave behind," Eberly said. "We just want to be the best role models that we can be to those younger players. We just want to keep tradition alive and keep that winning culture going.”
BUSHLAND VS. EAST BERNARD
3A State Semifinal Volleyball
When: 1 p.m. Thursday
Where: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland
Records: Bushland 40-4; East Bernard 42-7
Other state semifinal matchup: Columbus (45-3) vs. Gunter (41-6)
Coverage: Post game stories and photos to appear on amarillo.com.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Bushland seniors aim for three-peat at UIL state volleyball tournament
