Coach J to lead TGCA East All Stars

A HUGE Congratulations goes out to Magnolia High School's Coach Terri Johnson and senior Lady Bulldog Michele Williams who have been selected by the TGCA (Texas Girls Coaches Association) to coach and play (repectively) in this year's 2007-2008 All-Star game!!

In the meantime, give Coach J a big pat on the back when you see her and let her know how proud we are for her in this selection, and for the recognition for her dedicated work as the Girls' Athletic Coordinator at Magnolia High School.

GO LADY BULLDOGS !!!

Banquet Awards

What a wonderful evening it was for a banquet!! The weather was cool, the banquet room was warm...what a night for a nice italian dinner and movie! Once again, Mr Rustford Kibbles outdid himself producing this years' DVD and we would like to thank him for all of his hard work and dedication in organizing, filming and editting, along with all the recorded media during the season, and for the hard work from Alan Meeks and the Magnolia Booster Club for ALL of their support all year long. The Magnolia sports programs have continued to get stronger each year thanks to their tireless, dedicated work- and thanks to everyone's support.

The awards banquet hosted by our very own 2007 15-5A District Coach of the Year: Terri Johnson has become an event that everyone who's been involved in Magnolia volleyball, can't wait to attend. It was time to honor the accomplishments of ALL of the volleyball programs at Magnolia High School and though it may have been bitter-sweet for some this year-we applauded the ladies who had a great season, but it was also time to acknowledge all of the work the seniors have put in as they've reached the end of their high school careers and as they prepare to go in different directions in their lives. It was certainly an ALL STAR EVENT.... here's the awards that were given out for the players:

MAGNOLIA HIGH SCHOOL

LADY BULLDOG VOLLEYBALL 2007

Regional Semifinalist, 35-8 overall

Undefeated 10-0 (30-0) District

Hannah Davies

Academic All District

15-5A All District 1st Team

All Montgomery County 1st Team

Hannah Fort

Academic All District

TGCA Academic All State Team

15-5A All District 1st Team & Blocker of the Year

Committed to TCU

Paige Holland

Academic All District

15-5A All District 1st Team

MHS Team: Rookie of the Year

Jamie Kaleh
Academic All District

15-5A All District 1st Team

All Montgomery County 2nd Team

Katie Kreft

Academic All District

Meagan Little

Academic All District

15-5A All District Team Honorable Mention

Lynnsay Manning

Academic All District

TGCA Academic All State Team

MHS Team: Fighting Heart Award

Breane Matula

Academic All District

Kati Michael

Academic All District

Ashlynn Newman

15-5A All District Team Honorable Mention

Alicia Shaffer

Academic All District

TGCA Academic All State Team

15-5A All District 1st Team

All Montgomery County 1st Team

MHS Team: Co-Defensive Player

Committed to UT-A

Kelli Stewart

Academic All District

15-5A All District 1st Team

Brittany Wheaton

Academic All District

15-5A All District Team & Defensive Player of the Year

All Montgomery County Co-Defensive Player of the Year

MHS Team: Co-Defensive Player

Michele Williams

Academic All District

15-5A All District 1st Team

15-5A All District Unanimous MVP & Hitter of the Year

All Montgomery County 1st Team & MVP

MHS Team: MVP & Offensive Player

2007-2008 TGCA All State Team

2007-2008 TGCA All Star Team

Committed to LSU

Coach Terri Johnson

2007-2008 District 15-5A Coach of the Year

GREAT JOB LADY BULLDOGS!!!

Wildcats Send Lady Bulldogs Packing

The Lake Highlands Lady Wildcats springboarded from the momentum earned in their impressive comeback culminating from 'back in the pack' of the 3rd set to the lofty status as the 'top DAWG' in this 4th set and never relinquished the lead. The Lady Bulldogs watched the Wildcats' lead swell up to 7 points at one time (9-16) and could only cut the lead back to 4 at 14-18, and that was the best they could do before they were buried alive at crunchtime 25-20, and were sent back home early (3-1)...only now as a spectator instead of as a contender.

The DAWGS never quit as shown here by Michele Williams

blocking a Lady Wilcat attempt across the middle.

The Lady Wildcats had little trouble closing out the DAWGS and played a great game with few (if any) errors. The cellular calls sent out at the Coliseum kept dropping me and I just had enough time to catch the end...

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The Lady Bulldogs gave it one neck of an effort...gave it all they had, but the well was drying up! There was never a question about the DAWGS' effort, but in the playoffs when one point means going forward to the next match or heading home - anything can (and usually does) unexpectantly happen. Simply, Lake Highlands has a very talented and opportunistic team that rode their momentum and played better at the right time. Let's not forget that the (39-5) Lady Wildcats are the District 9A champions and beat a bunch of great teams with the likes of Plano West, Allen, and San Antonio Clark along the way. Though they've got to be exhausted, and will be facing 2 similar teams like Magnolia and Plano West back-to-back, they'll undoubtedly give Plano West all they can handle and a great match, though they may not appear to stand up so well on paper (again)! That's why this sport is so great ... it needs to be played!!

That sets the stage for the 5A Regional finals on Saturday looking like:

Arlington vs. Amarillo

Plano West vs. Lake Highlands

Cy-Fair vs. Clear Creek

San Antonio Reagan vs. Westlake

GO LADY BULLDOGS!!!

Lady Wildcats Escape DAWGS Grip

In a tight game from beginning to finish, set #2 was as close and as full of emotion as one could stand. There were 15 ties in this thriller and Lake Highlands led Magnolia by 4 points at one juncture (11-7). It looked like vintage DAWGS as Michele Williams and Kelli Stewart teamed up to block the first point. But just as quickly the DAWGS fell back (1-3) with a couple of errors, only to have Williams block the middle (2-3) and blast away for a kill at 3-3.

Both teams went on to battle in this one as both obviously thought this was a pivotal win. If the DAWGS were to win it, it would've made it extremely difficult for the 'Cats to come back and win 3 straight after being down 0-2. It was paramount that the 'Cats equalize the match and momentum on this one and take some of the steam out of the stronger Lady Bulldogs.

Lady Bulldog junior hitter Meagan Little jammed 'em with a missle in the middle!

It was coming down to a 'photo-finish' in a game that both teams needed desperately to win. Here's the audio:

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We lost the audio in Set #3, and it's probably just as well!! The cellular reception in the Coliseum was giving us as hard of a time as the Lady Wildcats were! The Lady Bulldogs had a commanding lead of 8 points at 11-3 in this one and looked invincible, then inexplicably, let the Lady Wildcats off the mat! Point by point, the 'Cats turned the momentum around and scored 10 straight while the error prone DAWGS suffered an untimely, catastrophic and unrecoverable meltdown. From their new vantage point at 13-11, the 'Cats continued to outplay the DAWGS 12 to 7 and finish with a 25-18 victory and a 2-1 lead in the set department. Ouch!! Now the pressure was on the Lady Bulldogs to tie the match up and win it with 2 straight!

GO LADY BULLDOGS!!!

DAWGS Show Lady Wildcats The Way

Well, it was time.. All the hard work and preparation this season was coming down to a couple more games...then, the BIG DANCE!! The Lady Bulldogs were looking at another District 9A obstacle, just as they did last year, but were ready to take on the Lake Highlands Lady Wildcats in this match and decide who was going to be the Region II Semi Finalists and who would be playing the next day and representing Region II in the state tournament.

The match was a courtside view of two contrasting volleyball styles. On one side you had a district champion who ran the tables this season against their talented (and taller) rivals with a team that doesn't have a player over 5'10" but is extremely adept in passing and defensive manuvering, with at least one exceptional hitter and all-around player. On the other, you have a district champion who mauled their rivals offensively with a talented, (taller, and more experienced) team that had no obvious or apparent holes to fill...and, with several exceptional players. On paper, it was tough to do the math and didn't look like an even match!

When the DAWGS took the court against the (38-5) Lake Highlands Lady Wildcats in the first set, the meeting was looking like it was on paper!! When Magnolia needed points, the ladies went to the 'well' ... Michele Boom Boom Williams lit 'em up when she got the ball (1-0 and 2-2); Meagan Little tied the game at 3-3 with a kill; Hannah Fort placed a tip at 5-5; and the DAWGS got very little help from the Lady Wildcats who had committed but 1 service error - even when the score was at 10-10.

Lady Bulldogs Michele Williams was one step ahead of the Lady Wilcats.

The game changed at this point as Jamie Kaleh had a Happy Birthday gift of a shot at 11-10, and Alicia Shaffer rattled off 2 service aces for a 13-10 lead and the 'Cats immediately called a time out. Lake Highlands picked up 2 points quickly behind a couple of errors when time resumed, but could only manage another 6 points in the game, as the stronger DAWGS bombarded them with a variety of Kaleh, Fort, Little and Stewart kills and shots off the Wildcats' outstretched hands on their way to a 25-18 victory. The audio is below:

It all seemed pretty routine, but one underlying characteristic was missing that the DAWGS had experienced almost all season long...the 'Cats were indeed beaten in this set by a stronger, more aggressive, offensive team...but, the Lady Wildcats made very few mistakes. It was just a matter of time because it was going to take the team who could make the fewest mistakes overall to win this one..

Press > To Play:

GO LADY BULLDOGS!!! BULLDOG PRIDE!!!

DAWGS Come Back Big Time

WOW, (as in BOW WOW!!! ) Lady Bulldog Fans, what an awesome Battle Royale this match turned out to be!! If things were going to be like they were when this match started, then one would only expect the Lady Tigers to win this one and force the match into a 5th and deciding set. Well, ...it did, and ...they didn't...

The DAWGS were in a celebratory mood when Hannah Fort ended the match

with a kill in a great comeback win against the A & M Consolidated Lady Tigers.

The Lady Tigers pounced on Magnolia and opened up a 6-0 lead while the Lady Bulldogs were still celebrating the previous set win and were in the midst of having serve receive problems and hitting errors in this set. It wasn't until Michele 'Boom Boom' Williams fired a missle with her patented "Glide Slamma-Jamma-Roosky" kill shot at 1-6, when the DAWGS woke up and realized that they were still in the game,....but it was the next shot that really ignited the fans in the Sam Houston Coliseum. It started when Boom Boom followed up her Glide shot by unleashing another massive kill shot that (unintentionally) ricocheted off a poor Lady Tiger's noggin that flew back from the Tiger's middle court, over and across the net AND the DAWGS' backcourt ...only to drop 10 feet past the back boundry line for the Lady Bulldogs' 2nd point!! After the crowd let out a collective gasp -it quickly turned to astonished cheers when they realized there was not an injury (though it may take a while to get the imprint of the ball off the Tiger's head), the forces of momentum and confidence began the long turn back the DAWGS' way! It wasn't that the Lady Bulldogs immediately made up the scoring defecit, but they began playing even more aggressively from this point going forward.

Now that the DAWGS got their paws wet, they began to right the ship and turn up the heat. They stayed within striking distance despite being as far behind as 7 points (5-12), and started one of their best comebacks in recent memory or (arguably), in Lady Bulldog state playoff history.

It started with an Alicia Shaffer kill at 9-14; then a Hannah Davies' ace serve at the beginning of the next rotation to put the score at 10-14; then it was a Boom Boom explosion off the Tigers' paws at 11-14; next point was a result of the Tigers hitting out-of-bounds at 12-14 and a Tiger time out was called to give the ladies a chance to re-group while cooling off the sizzling DAWGS. When play resumed, Boom Boom ran her patented Glide to put it at 13-14; then another Boom Boom Boomer off the defenders' hands at 14-14; and after a reeling Tiger hitting error at 15-14 - the comeback was on.... and the DAWG pound was REALLY howling!!

'Boom Boom', shown here with team mates Jamie Kaleh (7) and Brittany Wheaton (5)

was relentless against the Tigers, tallying up 22 Kills with 2 solo and 2 assist blocks.

Still the Tigers were wounded, but they were far from dead...!!! They clawed back and took the lead for the last time at 16-15, only to stir Michele and the DAWGS up again with a kill at 16-16; followed by Boom Boom's Sidewinder shot at 17-16; then a 'fake to Boom Boom' who drew the defenders in to her, by Hannah Davies who backset the High Flyin' Kelli Stewart -who blasted a missle of her own off the Tigers' hands at 18-17; and again, it was a Boom Boom kill at 19-17 and a serve receive error at 20-17 that forced the Lady Tigers to burn their last time out. The Lady Bulldogs kept their pace and closed it out once again at crunch time, as you may be able to tell with this audio clip. I must apologize for being caught up with all the action, but it was certainly too exciting to contain oneself:

Press > To Play:

The stats:

Michele Williams had a whopping 22 kills with 2 solo blocks and 2 block assists; followed by Hannah Fort who had 6 kills with 1 solo and 2 block assists; next was a trio of players with 4 kills apiece: Meagan Little with 4 block assists, Alicia Shaffer with 9 digs and 2 aces, and Jamie Kaleh with 14 digs and 1 ace. Speaking of aces: junior Kelli Stewart had 5 aces to go with her 3 kills; Paige Holland had 3 aces with her 15 assists; Hannah Davies had 2 aces with her 22 assists, and Brittany Wheaton led with 22 digs.

What a great match for the Lady Bulldogs, but there's still more work to be done. The ladies WON their Regional Quarterfinal match and have 2 matches to state!

NEXT UP: REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

MHS vs. Lake Highlands

Friday, Nov. 9, 3:30 pm at Sam Houston State Univ.

From the desk of Coach J:

MHS teachers and fans: Thank you for your letters of inspiration!! Friday can be an excused absence for any students that want to attend the game. Please pack up your sub-varsity players and put them on the cheer bus or in the car & BRING THEM OUT TO SUPPORT THE MHS VB PROGRAM ON THE WAY TO STATE!!! Let's ALL be a part of the excitement!

GO LADY BULLDOGS!!!

ALL THE WAY TO STATE!!!

DAWGS Turn the Table Back Their Way

The Lady Bulldogs dug deeper and turned the momentum around their way in this set with the help of their talented underclassmen: Meagan Little, Kelli Stewart and setters junior Hannah Davies and freshman Paige Holland as they complimented the prowess of veterans: Michele Williams, Alicia Shaffer, and Hannah Fort. When they pulled together, they raised the bar and the DAWGS were in full force and were unknowingly giving the spectators a glimpse of the future!

Coach J found a way to turn the match back the Lady Bulldogs' way.

Williams opened the DAWGS scoring behind a couple of classic sets and blistering kills at 2-2; then a Kelli Stewart ace at 3-2 (one of her 5 for the night); a Boom Boom block in the middle at 5-2, and a hit at 6-4 before the rotation took over and Hannah Fort blocked 2 successive attacks by the Tigers as the DAWGS began pulling forward at 8-4.

Gotta Love that DEFENSE! Junior Kelly Stewart and Michele Williams shutting down the left.

After a few Tiger errors, junior Meagan Little jammed 'em with a kill in the middle, then Alicia Shaffer sneaked a left handed tip shot at 14-7; followed up by a (rotation-returning) Michele Williams who blasted a missle in there at 15-9; then a Shaffer jump serve and a Tiger hitting error later had the DAWGS howling again up front and on top at 17-9. Meagan scalded the Tigers again at 21-11 with a shot and it was beginning to look like this was going to be a real dogfight!!

Here's an audio file for this one:

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Tigers Roar Past DAWGS

The Lady Bulldogs' remarkable streak of 46 straight games without a loss is now a milestone and all bets are OFF!! The Lady Tigers showed everyone how and why they were in the Regional Quarterfinals as they tightened their game with a stingy defense and an impressive attack of their own.

The DAWGS were neck-n'-neck with the Tigers at 10-10, but A & M Consolidated willed themselves forward with great defensive movement and seemed to find holes in the DAWGS' defense when hitting crosscourt. The DAWGS' offense was not clicking as in the first set and the ladies found themselves trailing by 6 at 12-18 when time out was called and the ladies regrouped to make a run at the lead.

There was a battle in the trenches and the DAWGS and team mates

Hannah Davies and Alicia Shaffer had MH Michele Williams' back.

When play was called back in the Lady Bulldogs gave it a great effort, but the Lady Tigers would not shake loose and maintained the same edge at 23-17, but it was inevitable...
Here's the file on this one:

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GO LADY BULLDOGS!!!

DAWGS Pile On TIGERS

It was hard to know what to expect in this match between 2 neighbors who both wanted to get on with this Region II Quarterfinal match and go after the state 5A volleyball crown. A & M Consolidated is always a dangerous foe with tons of talent and a great, pedigreed program of their own. The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs had just come off a great victory themselves, playing consistently at a high intensity level against a tough Round Rock McNeil team and expected the Lady Tigers to come into the Sam Houston Colesium ready to give it their 'all' with nothing to lose. They were not surprised...

It was an auspicious start as the DAWGS started out slowly by uncharacteristically, committing 2 service return errors back-to-back before Michele Williams opened up the DAWGS' scoring with her 'Glide shot' and an Alicia Shaffer serve was shanked by the Lady Tigers' backrow for a 2-2 tie.

Meagan Little and Hannah Fort cutting this Lady Tiger attack attempt off!

Once the DAWGS got their paws wet and righted their ship, they took off on a tear blowing past A & M Consolidated with a 12 to 2 spread and led 14 -4 behind a few Williams' kills, a Meagan Little blast of her own; a Hannah Fort block; and a ton of serving and hitting errors froma generous Tiger team; and not to mention ... 2 time outs that had to be spent ineffectively to try to cool down the DAWGS.

Senior Lady Bulldog Jamie Kaleh had a busy evening handling 14 digs.

This was all that was needed for the Lady Bulldogs to pick up the scent of a wounded adversary and the chase was on as they continued their dominance in this one, and leading 20-10 when the audio file kicks in:

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GREAT START LADIES!!!

REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS

Lady Bulldogs vs. A&M Consolidated

Tuesday, Nov. 6, 7:30 pm

Sam Houston State University

$5 adults, $2 students