The 2023 volleyball season was an unusual one at Cooper High School. The Lady Cougars never found a rhythm and missed the state playoffs for just the third time in 11 seasons. Head Coach Nora Campbell and her players are determined to return to the postseason in 2024.
“We want to be a program where our players are getting the playoff experience and seeing their hard work pay off every year they are in our program,” said Campbell, who has won 367 matches in her tenure at Cooper. “This group of seniors knows what it takes; they’ve been working hard this off-season and throughout the summer, and they are hungry to experience the playoffs for themselves.”
Campbell returns seven letterwinners from last year’s team, and she has 10 seniors on the 2024 roster, giving her team plenty of experience to start the season. She will lean heavily on senior setters Jaedah Titus and Caeylyn Nault, senior outside hitters Amyah Walzer, Maeley Siglock, and Rachel Sprencel, and senior libero Emma Ruiz to lead her team through the 2024 schedule.
Those six seniors have seen everything the opposition can throw at them, and Campbell is counting on their experience to help her team this season.
“Controlling matches with our good gameplay and not relying on mistake-driven points from our opponent is key,” Campbell said. “With a much more experienced team this year and a longer pre-season schedule, we should have more time to work on our consistency, regardless of who is across the net from us. Above all else, they must believe in themselves and what they can do this season and fight every match to get what they want.”
They want to return to the playoffs and take their chances from there. They’ll do so by playing in a new district that includes Abilene High School, Wylie High School, and the two new Wichita Falls high schools: Legacy and Memorial.
The district will be new in some regards with two new Wichita Falls programs, but not so new when it comes to renewing rivalries with Abilene High and Wylie. However, Cooper does have some experience playing in a smaller district.
“This new district reminds me of the last time we played in a five-team district with Aledo, Wylie, Rider, and Wichita Falls High (2018 and 2019), so in some ways, I revert to that experience,” Campbell said. “I remember we were excited to play new competition where the athletes were unfamiliar with the programs they were playing. You just got out there and competed hard with no preconceived thought of the teams we would be playing, and we faired well in that district.
“Regardless of the teams in the district, we have to be confident and consistent enough in our game that we know we can find a way to win every time we step on the court,” she said. “So that is where our focus is, knowing the more control we have on our side of the court, the less it matters who is across the net from us on any given night.”
The Lady Cougars start the season at home on Monday, Aug. 12, when they host Keller Fossil Ridge (1 p.m.) and Mansfield (4 p.m.) at Cougar Gym. At the end of the week (Friday, Aug. 16-Saturday, Aug. 17), the Lady Cougars will be part of the Bev Ball Tournament at various sites around Abilene.
Click here to see the full Lady Cougar Volleyball schedule.
2024 COOPER VOLLEYBALL
Coach (seasons as head coach / overall record):
Nora Campbell (21st season / 367-386)
Last season (overall record, district record, district finish):
13-29 overall (3-9, 5th place in District 4-5A)
Last playoff appearance (year, result):
2022 (Lost to Amarillo High, 3-0, in bi-district round)
Last district championship (year):
2015, 7-1 in District 4-5A)
2024 District Opponents:
District 4-5A (Abilene High, Abilene Wylie, Wichita Falls Legacy, Wichita Falls Memorial)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:
7/3
Returning letterwinners (7):
Jaedah Titus, sr, setter (honorable mention All-District 4-5A in 2023); Amyah Walzer, sr, outside hitter (honorable mention All-District in 2023); Maeley Siglock, sr, middle blocker/outside hitter (honorable mention All-District 4-5A in 2023); Rachel Sprencel, sr, outside hitter/middle blocker (honorable mention All-District 4-5A in 2023); Emma Ruiz, sr, libero (honorable mention All-District 4-5A in 2023); Caeylyn Nault, sr, setter (honorable mention All-District 4-5A in 2023); Hailey Young, sr, defensive specialist.
Key newcomers:
Peyton Ellis, sophomore, middle blocker; Baeleigh Star, jr, rightside hitter
Head Coach Nora Campbell on the 2024 season:
“We have seven returning players and 10 seniors, so we have experience at the varsity level and a much higher volleyball IQ than when we started last year. Like all teams, we are filling the spots of our seniors from last year and still working on finding the winning combination we need on the court.”