Gallery • 9 Photos

Maya Tackett

BUMPED: Juniors Tiara Cooks and Mia Davis bump the ball during the home game against Ann Richards on Sep. 26th. Cooks, who has been playing volleyball since age nine and has been playing for McCallum since her freshman year as a defensive specialist, said the game was an important one to her. “I think the game went really well, although it was kind of hectic at first, it became a good game towards the end,” Cooks said. “Individually, I think I did pretty well at the Ann Richards game. I minimized a lot of my mistakes and I feel like that was my breaking-out game.” McCallum defeated Ann Richards in four sets, 3–1, a result Cooks described as a meaningful win. “I would say that this was a pretty big win for the team, because whenever we played them in a tournament, we also went three sets with them, and it was back and forth,” Cooks said. “They’re a good team, so this was actually an important game.” To Cooks, one of the biggest encouragements was seeing fellow Knights in the stands cheering for her. “People from our school coming out to support us and showing team spirit made me feel great, because they raised the energy of the game,” Cooks said. “Our freshman and JV teams did really well with adding to the cheering as well.” With the victory under her belt, Cooks said she feels more confident heading into the rest of the season. “I think that this win made me feel more confident for the upcoming games,” Cooks said. “I feel like since I minimized a lot of errors that game, that I can do that as well for the rest of the season.” Caption by Sophia Manos.

Fueled by strong rallies and steady teamwork, the McCallum varsity volleyball team secured a 3–1 victory over Ann Richards on Sept. 26.

We are proud to present McCallum’s varsity volleyball team as this week’s Thursday Top 10.

BUMPED: Juniors Tiara Cooks and Mia Davis bump the ball during the home game against Ann Richards on Sept. 26. Cooks, who has been playing volleyball since age nine and has been playing for McCallum since her freshman year as a defensive specialist, said the game was an important one to her.

“I think the game went really well, although it was kind of hectic at first, it became a good game towards the end,” Cooks said. “Individually, I think I did pretty well at the Ann Richards game. I minimized a lot of my mistakes, and I feel like that was my breaking-out game.”

McCallum defeated Ann Richards in four sets, 3–1, a result Cooks described as a meaningful win.

“I would say that this was a pretty big win for the team, because whenever we played them in a tournament, we also went three sets with them, and it was back and forth,” Cooks said. “They’re a good team, so this was actually an important game.”

To Cooks, one of the biggest encouragements was seeing fellow Knights in the stands cheering for her.

“People from our school coming out to support us and showing team spirit made me feel great, because they raised the energy of the game,” Cooks said. “Our freshman and JV teams did really well with adding to the cheering as well.”

With the victory under her belt, Cooks said she feels more confident heading into the rest of the season.

“I think that this win made me feel more confident for the upcoming games,” Cooks said. “I feel like since I minimized a lot of errors that game, that I can do that as well for the rest of the season.”

Caption by Sophia Manos. Photo by Maya Tackett.

VOLLEYBALL BUDDIES: Junior Mia Davis and Senior Kafia Jackson-Woods join hands after a play against Ann Richards Varsity at Ann Richards on Sept. 26. Both student sections were energized. Moments prior, the girls had scored and brought the points up.

Davis, one of two setters, felt grateful to have Jackson-Woods by her side.

“I’ve played with Kafia since my freshman year because we were both on JV,” Davis said. “I really like her competitive spirit, and that she isn’t afraid to tell me what I need to fix so that we can connect better. I just really like her energy and her personality.”

Playing with her friends gives Davis more confidence and assurance. She knows how the girls will play and how her teammates feel. However, because the gym was smaller, the crowd was louder. Davis believed that affected the team’s play.

“I think we let the crowd get to us a little bit because when we were on the side with our student section, we kept them 12 and under,” Davis said. “When we were on the other side, they beat us in one set, and we went over 25.”

Caption by Carlo Hinsdale. Photo by Maya Tackett.

GOOD TEAMWORK: Senior Lexi Rosenblatt celebrates with junior Sienna Martens and senior Kafia Jackson-Woods at the volleyball game against Ann Richards on Friday, Sept. 26. Facing the Stars in four sets, the Knights won the first, but lost momentum and lost the second set, then rallied and achieved a win for the final two, coming on top with a final score of 3-1 sets.

Rosenblatt believes that both the environment and the anticipation of the game were factors in the outcome.

“[The Ann Richards] gym is very loud – they have a lot of people there and I know that we were all very excited to play a good team,” Rosenblatt said. “So just us being excited to play that game helped us to play our best.”

The first set stood out to Rosenblatt, who recognized it as some of the team’s best playing. The teamwork and effort shone and carried the team to their first success of the night.

“We had a lot of effort, we weren’t getting lazy or complacent, we weren’t letting any balls drop, we were sticking it out through long rallies, and we kept our energy really high,” Rosenblatt said. “We were working really well together. Everyone was doing their job really well during the first set, and it showed in the score.”

Despite a strong start and a fighting battle from the Knights, they were not able to secure a win in the following set.

“I think that coming back from losing the second set was a challenge,” Rosenblatt said. “Sometimes, I think that we get a little overconfident after winning the first set, and then we lose it a little bit in the second set.”

Losing the second set was disappointing, but the Knights did not let it get to them. They returned to the court intent on finishing out the game, maintaining high energy all the way to the fourth set. During the game, Rosenblatt was focusing on the team’s harmony and strategy.

“I really wanted to make sure we were playing as a whole and not just relying on one or two people, and I wanted to spread out our offense,” Rosenblatt said.

Both teams were neck-and-neck towards the end of the fourth set, but the Knights were able to outlast the Stars in a back-and-forth battle lasting to a final score of 26-24 McCallum.

“It’s always fun to get a good win like that, especially because the fourth set was so long. Those are always exciting whenever it’s really close.” Rosenblatt said. “I thought that we did a really good job of maintaining our level of play the whole game, and I was proud of us for that.”

Caption by Hannah Kahn. Photo by Sofia Saucedo.

CALM AND COLLECTED: Seniors Kafia Jakson-Woods and Dillon Harper and Sophomore Piper Adair celebrate a point in McCallum’s 3-1 district win over Ann Richards on Sept. 26. Jackson-Woods said the team’s composure was the key to success.

“A big key to that win was staying focused,” Jackson-Woods said. “Most of us were able to stay calm and collected while playing smart.”

Staying calm and focused for the team was important for the win, but their connection and ability to work well together allowed the team to make great plays.

“I think everything we did was great and clicked for us.” Jackson-Woods said, “There were so many good rallies and plays in the game.”

Although the team had many good rallies because they worked well together, Jakson-Woods noted that they still made mistakes and missed a few rallies due to their lack of communication.

“One thing we could’ve done better was talking in the back row,” said Jackson-Woods.

Despite the team’s rough patches, the team won the game and will take the momentum of the win with them into their upcoming district games.

“Now that we know how it feels to play fast and calm, I think we will integrate it into our upcoming games, especially Bastrop and Anderson,” said Jackson-Woods.

Caption by Magnolia Smith. Photo by Sofia Saucedo.

SERVING TO SUCCESS: Freshman Annika Ellwanger serves the ball to the Ann Richards Stars on Friday, Sept. 26. Ellwanger had many consecutive serves throughout the game, racking up points for the Knights.

The Knights had won the first set 25-11, but weren’t able to keep up their win and lost the second set 25-22. However, the Knights were able to push through and win the third set. The game was rounded out by the Knights winning the fourth set 26-24.

Making her district serving debut, Ellwanger said she was proud of the opportunity.

“I’m proud of myself for my serving game, as I had never gotten the chance to serve in a district game before,” Ellwanger said I’m glad it went well.”

As a freshman on varsity, Ellwanger was very grateful for her older teammates she got to meet this season, as she was able to learn new tips and tricks from them.

“One person I really look up to is sophomore Piper Adair,” Ellwanger said. “She was the most welcoming and gave really good advice to me and the other freshman, [Audrey Moss], on the first day of practice, and has continued to do so.”

Along with Adair, Ellwanger also admires senior Aaniya Thornton.

“Aaniya has helped my mental game so much,” Ellwanger said. “She keeps her cool really well, and it’s very inspirational as someone who has a hard time with that.”

Ultimately, Ellwanger is grateful for the experiences she gets by being on varsity, on and off the court.

“Playing up with girls a lot older than me is definitely intimidating, but it’s improved my gameplay so much,” Ellwanger said.

Caption by Vera Petrowsky. Photo by Maya Tackett.

STEPPING UP: Freshman Annika Ellwanger walks through the handshake line with her teammates, after McCallum’s win over Ann Richards, a game she described as a turning point in the season.

“We played with high communication and low errors,” Ellwanger said.” It worked out really well for us.”

Ellwanger admitted that her nerves have been the biggest challenge from the start of the season.

“I overthink a lot and my nerves can get really high, especially before a game,” Ellwanger said. “I’ve gotten better at calming myself down, and it was really exciting to get to serve.”

Ellwanger said she looks up to teammates Aaniyah Thorton and Piper Adair, who she called consistent and humble leaders. Despite being new to varsity, Ellwanger said it has already given her special memories, like putting on her jersey for the first time. While Ellwanger’s main goal is to improve her hitting percentage, she is proud that she can keep up with the pace of varsity.

Caption by Makenzie Brin. Photo by Maya Tackett.

HELPING HAND: During a timeout in the third set against Ann Richards, head coach Amy Brodbeck helped the Varsity volleyball team boost its energy and address areas that needed improvement on the court.

“I felt like we played as a team,” Brodbeck said. “Overall, they came together, and we made adjustments to the opponents, the stars.”

Brodbeck was impressed with freshman Annika Ellwanger’s strong serves, as Ellwanger served seven aces during the game.

“I noticed that she was doing really well in warm-up serving, and I decided to throw her in there, and she did fantastic,” Brodbeck said.

Going forward, Brodbeck believes the team needs to work on closing their blocks and improving their tip defense.

“All of the teams have figured out that we are not the strongest with tip defense,” Brodbeck said.

During a game, if the opposing team calls a timeout, Brodbeck lets the captains run it. However, when Brodbeck calls a timeout, everyone listens to her, as there are specific things she wants the team to hear and look out for.

Caption by Josie Linton. Photo by Maya Tackett.

TUNNEL TO SUCCESS: Junior outside hitter Annabel Johnson and the rest of the McCallum varsity volleyball team run through a tunnel created by the Junior Varsity and Freshman teams before McCallum’s Sept. 26 varsity game against Ann Richards. For Johnson, the tunnel tradition represents the strength of the volleyball community.

“I think it shows us that we always have people there that are looking out for us, and that everyone supports us and has our back.” Johnson said.

Johnson also added how the value of showing up for each other reinforces the sense of unity across all three teams.

“I think us sticking around and supporting each other before games shows that even though we play three or four separate games, we are one big team.” Johnson said.

According to Johnson, the bonds within the varsity team have grown stronger over time, noting that it has strengthened how they play together.

“I think our team has gotten really close over the past few games and we played really well together.” She said, “We’re all one big community and we all support each other.”

Ultimately, Johnson sees the teams as one unified force, or rather as many different united “families.”

“There is a lot of overlap between all the teams. Sometimes, we will scrimmage JV in practice, or JV will scrimmage Freshmen, and we all have “families” made up of players from all teams and grades.”

Caption by Sam Nash. Photo by Maya Tackett.

SERVING UP SURPRISE: Last Friday, junior setter Mia Davis switched things up in the McCallum volleyball game against Ann Richards, testing out some new positions and techniques. Davis said it was challenging to adapt to playing right back defensive position, which specializes in receiving the ball and passing to the setter-because it means she needs to adjust some of the fundamental passing styles that she is typically used to as a setter.

“The only way I had to adapt to the position change was where I passed the ball,” Davis said. “I was usually placing my pass high and to the middle as a setter, but this time, because I was playing more defensively, I had to pass to Lexi, who was the setter at the time.”

Davis also saw time as a serving specialist. She also noticed Ann Richards’ crowd was particularly distracting while the team was trying to serve, but Davis did her best not to let the heckling get to her head.

“I think I did a pretty good job of ignoring the crowd most of the game,” Davis said. “Although, while serving, it was pretty hard to ignore because the crowd was just so focused on messing you up, but I think the whole team did a great job with it though.”

Davis added that while serving, she has a strategy for not letting the pressure get to her.

“During such a high-stakes game, I just try not to worry as much about placement and focus more on getting it over and in,” Davis said.

Caption by Sofia Saucedo. Photo by Maya Tackett.