ARGYLE GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH CHAMP CEDAR PARK BEFORE FALLING
BY CHUCK LICATA, GMSPORTSMEDIA INSIDER/CEO, BIG DADDY MEDIA
Photo by Matt Smith / Matt’s Photography
All season long, the Argyle Eagles’ varsity volleyball team, coached by Katelyn Johnson, were a model of consistency coming into the Class 5A, Division II state championship match against Cedar Park.
Johnson’s team lost on Aug. 21 to Liberty and Lovejoy in tournament play then a tough 3-1 match loss to Frisco Reedy back on Sept. 5 in regular season play.
The Eagles then flew off on a 17-match winning streak, which included a perfect 12-0 mark in District 6-5A play. That streak also included victories over Decatur (those Eagles won the 4A/D1 championship yesterday), and then Liberty again, this time in the state semifinals.
And even though they went toe-to-toe with Cedar Park, it was the Timberwolves who found a way to overcome leads and finish off the Eagles in three sets, 26-24, 25-22, 27-25. The Timberwolves of Lori McLaughlin bring home the trophy and end their season at 39-12, while Johnson’s Eagles cap off a tremendous season just short of a title at 38-4.
“There’s a lot to be proud of with this team,” Johnson said afterwards. “I’m really proud of our journey at this point but I wish things had turned out a little better (today).”
After finishing their 2024 season with a state semifinal loss to eventual state champion Wakeland, the Eagles came into this season with a serious mission.
“(This season has) been an incredible run,” Johnson explained. “It’s a huge testament to the kids – how hard they worked in the off-season, and they poured everything they had into everything they did.
“Their accomplishments (this season) shows how much they care about what they do and how much they care for each other. A coach can’t ask for more than that.”
The first set went toe-to-toe all the way early on, tied eight times before it went 20-20. A kill by Alexis Elsey (seven kills and nine digs on the night) gave the Eagles a 21-20 lead, and Susanna Hodson (five kills, two blocks, one dig and one service ace) launched an ace for 22-20. But three Argyle unforced errors over the next five serves allowed CPHS to tie it at 24-24. A kill by match MVP Joy Udoye (match-high 13 kills along with seven digs and two total blocks) followed by an ace from Mya Cheatum (seven kills, four total blocks, three digs, three aces and one assist) gave the T’Wolves a 26-24 win in Set 1.
Set 2 started better for the Eagles. Two combo-blocks by Betsy Zhang (four blocks, nine digs and four kills) and Ella Roberts (four total blocks, nine kills, one dig and one assist) plus kills by Elsey, Hannah Baker (nine kills, one block and one dig) and Karsyn Rogers (one kills, 15 assists, six digs and two aces) powered the Eagles to a blistering 4-0 start, then a 7-4 lead.
However, the T’Wolves gradually worked the lead down to 9-9, the finished off an 11-5 scoring run with two straight aces by Sibley Oster (three aces, seven kills, eight digs, six assists and two total blocks).
Both teams went at it from there until – for the second straight set – they were tied at 20-20. From there it was a 5-2 run for the T’Wolves, capped off by back-to-back CP kills by Cheatum to finish off a 25-22 victory.
Then came the third and final set.
This one will haunt the Eagles for a bit. They used a 5-0 run to take a 15-14 lead, then got a kill by Baker to extend that scoring run to 9-1, and take a 20-15 lead. An attack error by Cedar Park made it 21-15; the Eagles had the momentum to extend the match to a fourth set.
However, the Timberwolves battled back, helped by two aces from Oster and kills from Harper Bohnen (five kills, two digs and a block) and Riis Britt (found kills and four total blocks) to close to 23-21.A block combo from Britt and Cheatum followed by an Argyle error then tied it at 23-all.
Back and forth the two teams went, until Udoye blasted a kill then made a block to end Cedar Park’s amazing 12-4 match-closing run for a 27-25 victory.
