JV Sweeps Lady Falcons

What a difference a new day makes...especially in volleyball! The Lady Bulldogs JV got off to a rocky start and were down as far as 7 points midway in Game #1 against the Lady Falcons JV when a spark ignited the Bullpups into a full fledged forest fire! After looking like they were moving in slow motion and they weren't going to be close to scoring 10 points (in the whole match), Coach Bialas called for a timeout with Magnolia trailing Jersey Village at 5-12 and somehow lit the fire. Kati Michael had a kill to make the score 7-13, Katie Kreft had a kill to make it 8-13, Chelsea Jackson jammed a kill to make it 10-13; Katie Kreft blew in another kill to make it 11-14 then followed with a service ace to make it 12-14; Kati Michael followed that up with another kill to tighten the score to 13-14 and Jersey Village called for a timeout to cool the Bullpups down. Chelsea Jackson would have none of that, as she buried a kill immediately on their side of the net when play resumed and knotted the score at 14-14. The Lady Falcons JV were beginning to feel like they'd been clipped and made several errors and when Breane Matula slammed two kills into the mix, the Lady Bulldogs JV were in control, locked and loaded at 21-17. Chelsea Jackson's blocked point at 23-21 closed the cage door and dashed any hopes for a Lady Falcon rally and a couple of errors later, Game #1 was in the books at 25-21. The Bullpups played like they were hungry and wanted to close this one out for sure by playing almost flawlessly with great ball control, a great defensive effort coupled with a transition game topped off with an attacking offense that coughed up only a few '3 balls'. Lynnsay Manning did a superb job of serve receiving and starting the transition and all of the ladies chipped in from everywhere. Enough can't be said about this total TEAM effort.

Photo of Lady Bulldogs being arrested in a 'crime spree'? Nope. Chelsea

Jackson and Kati Michael stealing a win from Jersey Village, though.

Game #2 the Bullpups used the momentum and 2 serve aces by Hannah Davies to jump on the Lady Falcons at the onset and to lead at 4-1 until Jersey Village scored 3 straight to say they were still alive at 4-4. Chelsea Jackson again began the onslaught with a kill to make it 5-4; Katie Kreft had a couple of service aces and when a couple of errors were thrown in, the score was ballooning to 9-4; Kati Michael had a blocked point and a kill making it 12-6; a few Lady Falcon errors later and another Katie Kreft kill and it was 18-8 and beginning to look like it was over. Jersey Village still had a pulse though, and made a valiant attempt with an aggressive push to turn things around by scoring 7 points straight and forcing Magnolia to take a time out. The JVs caught their breath, re-grouped and promptly scored 7 points to the Lady Falcon's 2 (with the help or Breane Matula and Kati Michael's kills) and put the birds "on ice" once and for all. The JVs (now 4-5 in district) really had a killer instinct 'thing' working tonight and it worked beautifully! Great district win and a match to build on....Langham Creek on Tuesday at the Dawg House.....ggggrrrrrrrrr...

Lady Bulldog Chelsea Jackson closing down a Lady Falcon attack.

Lady Bulldogs Put Lady Falcons On Endangered Species List!!

Lady Bulldogs individually struggle to contain their excitement

within themselves in their win against Jersey Village.

Game #3 ended as it started with total dominance by the Lady Bulldogs as they swept the Jersey Village Lady Falcons for the second time this season. Michele 'Boom Boom' Williams (12 kills for the night) opened the game with the Williams' Glide - sending a rocket to the floor of the bewildered Falconeers and when Lauren Michael (10 kills) banged a kill by them at 5-3, they had to be thinking "deja vu" all over again. Actually, they probably didn't have time to think about anything as Alicia Shaffer added another kill at 9-6 and another quick set by Mary Chadwick to 'Boom Boom' and the Lady Bulldogs were back on the launch pad at 10-7. The lead is stretched to 14-9 when we pick up the rest of the match in this audio:

Lady Bulldogs Maul Lady Falcons in Game #2

Lady Bulldog Alicia Shaffer shown here either

taunting her opponents or panting for a saucer of milk!

It wasn't even close. The Lady Bulldogs dismantled the Lady Falcons starting on a 6-0 run in Game #2 and keeping the same margin until extending the lead to 10 points at 15-5. Kelli Stewart had a great blocked point at 10-4 that was a 'total rejection' and a disheartening blow to the Jersey Village People. I kind of liked it, myself!! The Lady Bulldogs poured it on to make the score 19-6 when this audio picks up the action:

Lady Bulldogs Packing a Punch Against Jersey Village

Lady Bulldog MB Michele 'Boom Boom' Williams

firing off one of her dozen kills against Jersey Village.

Game #1 started with a couple of Lauren Michael kills and a Kelli Stewart block as quickly as the door to the pen opened and the Dawgs were on the loose at 3-0! The Lady Bulldogs established themselves as the team to beat as soon as the first whistle blew. The lead stayed at 4 points until it reached 9-5 and from that point never got less than 5, when Alicia Shaffer buried a kill at 13-8. The Lady Bulldogs had it all going tonight! Power, speed, great ball movement, good decision making and exceptional defense! Alicia Shaffer played exceptionally well in the backrow, digging anything that came into the same zipcode and hitting the ball solidly. Magnolia was totally in control when the action picks up with this audio clip, with the score at 17-10:

Lights Go Out On Lady Bulldogs JV

"Where were the Lady Bulldogs JV when the lights went out at Tomball Gym?" In the dark, of course, with a den of Lady Cougars eye-ing their prey and wanting to finish their meal at 21-16 in Game #2. What the Bullpups got was a reprieve of 20 minutes or so, as the lights cooled and re-lit the gymnasium so the Lady Cougars could pick up where they left off by trading points for a 25-20 victory and a district match win. The Lady Bulldogs JV had trailed the entire Game #2, still reeling from 'the one they let get away' earlier...

Game #1 started quite differently as the Bullpups 'dog-handled' Tomball at 4-1, 7-2, and with a good hit by Jamie Paulson put the JV in great shape and seemingly in charge at 8-3. The ladies must have awakened at this point as Tomball stormed back to tie the game at 8-8. A block point by Chelsea Jackson put the JV back on top at 10-8; a serve ace by Mandy Gray put JV again on top at 12-9; two kills by Kati Michael kept Magnolia in control at 18-13; two kills by Ashley Howe put the score at 20-16; Katie Kreft had a blocked point to update the score to 21-16; and a unforced Lady Cougar error put the Bullpups at 22-16 and a 'sure-fire' victory in their hands. Tomball then called for a time out, re-grouped and quietly scored 5 points to Magnolia's 2 before Magnolia called for their first time out at 24-21. The damage at this point had been done and the Lady Cougars JV now had the momentum coupled with the Bullpups on their back paws. When play resumed, Tomball scored 3 straight to go on top at 25-24. An error by Tomball tied the game at 25-25 and another error put Magnolia in the 'cat-bird' seat at 26-25. Again, a great 'momentum-turning' timeout was called for by the Tomball coach and again, when play resumed, the Lady Cougars scored 3 straight points - without interruption, for a shocking 28-26 win. The sullen Bullpups had committed too many unforced errors, had no 'closure' nor killer instinct, and appeared to be sleeping at the wheel in this game by allowing the Lady Cougars JV to gain the momentum and confidence they needed to devour the wandering Bullpups (now 3-5 in district play).

Indeed, a depressing match, but the ladies must re-group and put it behind them for their district match Friday night against the Jersey Village Lady Falcons.

Lady Bulldogs bury Lady Cougars in District Match

Both Hannah Fort and Lauren Michael team up together to

inflict a little punishment on a Tomball Lady Cougar.

The Lady Bulldogs won the district match 3-1.

The Lady Bulldogs returned from the dead in Game #4 and trounced the Lady Cougars 25-17 to win their district match in a resounding fashion. It was a pounding that was long over-due and needed to be made to establish Magnolia as the BIG DOGS and the 'heir apparent' in their rivalry and now the stronger team. Although the Magnolia fans would've loved to see this in Game #3, it was worth the wait for Game #4. The Lady Bulldogs jumped on the Lady Cougars from an early 5-1 lead and stretched it to 13-7 with strong play from Hannah Fort, Michele Williams (12 kills for the match), Caitlin Holland and Mary Chadwick (22 assists in the match) and a 're-vitalized' Alicia Shaffer. Lauren Michael finished the evening with 15 Kills for Magnolia and Kat Kramer had 9 for Tomball. This audio picks up with the Lady Bulldogs leashing the Lady Cougars at 16-8.

Game #4

The Lady Bulldogs, now 6-2 in District 17-5A play will face the Jersey Village Lady Falcons (4-4) on Friday night on the Lady Falcon's home court.

GO LADY BULLDOGS !

Game #3: Fuggeddabowtit !!

Lady Bulldog Lauren Michael challenging Lady Cougar Irene

Rump in Magnolia's district 17-5A win against Tomball.

We'll spare you the agonizing details about this one. Just be thankful Game #3 wasn't VIDEO VOLLEYBALL! The Lady Cougars pounced on the Dawgs at 4-1 and out-paced a struggling Magnolia team who couldn't do anything right, by a 17-8 beating to put them firmly in charge at 21-9 when this audio picks up.

The Lady Bulldogs trying to protect their turf against Tomball.

Audio for Game #3:

Lady Cougars' Fur Flying in 'Games #1 and #2'

The Tomball Lady Cougars try in vain to stop

another kill shot by the Magnolia Lady Bulldogs.

When we last visited our super-heros they had just out-lasted the Tomball Lady Cougars in Game #1 with a 27-25 win that was almost squandered away from a lead they had controlled at an early 3-1 lead through to a 24-22 game point advantage. It was 'closing time' and the Magnolia Lady Bulldogs couldn't seem to deliver a knockout punch and the Lady Cougars were scratching and clawing to tie the game up. The lead advantage see-sawed back and forth several times forcing the Lady Bulldogs to continue stepping it up until they won by two. Trailing the whole game, then tying and fighting for an eventual loss in Game #1 seemed to take the steam out of Tomball, but they were not ready to roll over and let the Lady Bulldogs take their first match win (in the last hundred-or-so attempts) in the Lady Cougars' den. When the Lady Bulldogs were 'biting' they were impressive with good efforts from all: Mary Chadwick setting nicely, Michele 'Boom Boom' Williams and Lauren 'Hammer' Michael pounding, good ball control and passing and a "stealth-like" defense. When they were 'barking' they were not very impressive at all.

Lady Bulldogs (l to r) Michele Williams, Alicia Shaffer and

Lauren Michael playing defense while flowing with the ball.

Alicia Shaffer started Game #2 with her patented serving aces to put the Lady Bulldogs on top at 5-1, then Tomball came back to tie things up at 6-6. The Lady Bulldogs asserted themselves a little more and took control out-scoring the Lady Cougars 12-4 to where this audio picks up in Game #2 with Magnolia leading 18-10:

Let the Games Begin!! Week of Sept 26th-30th

The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs will be ending the first half of district vs. Tomball on Thursday, Sept. 29 and beginning the second half of their district 17-5A schedule on Friday vs. Jersey Village Lady Falcons. The match against St. Agnes had to be cancelled due to the delayed start of school at St. Agnes.

STAY TUNED FOR MORE LADY BULLDOG VOLLEYBALL !!

17-5A STANDINGS

TEAM DISTRICT OVERALL
Cy-Fair 7-0 22-3
Langham Creek 6-1 18-8
Magnolia 5-2 18-6
Cypress Creek 5-2 15-13
Jersey Village 3-4 9-13
Cypress Falls 2-4 9-16
Tomball 2-5 7-15
Cypress Springs 1-7 2-19
Cypress Ridge 0-7 6-14

Thursday Schedule District 17-5A
Magnolia at Tomball Tomball District Sep 29 2005 6:00
Cypress Creek at Cy-Fair Cy-Fair District Sep 29 2005 4:30
Langham Creek at Cypress Falls Cypress Falls District Sep 29 2005 6:00
Jersey Village at Cypress Ridge Cypress Ridge District Sep 29 2005 6:00

Friday Schedule District 17-5A
Tomball at Langham Creek Langham Creek District Sep 30 2005 6:00
Magnolia at Jersey Village Jersey Village District Sep 30 2005 5:00
Cypress Ridge at Cypress Creek Cypress Creek District Sep 30 2005 6:00
Cypress Falls at Cypress Springs Cypress Springs District Sep 30 2005 6:00

GAME CHANGES!

THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
Tuesday-Regular after school practice for all teams
Wednesday-Regular after school practice
Thursday- at Tomball times 9A at 4:30 9B to follow; JV at 5, Varsity to follow
Friday- at Jersey Village 9A 4:30 pm 9B to follow; JV at 5 pm, Varsity to follow
Saturday- NO MATCH vs. St. Agnes

Beginning the week of Oct. 3, all games will return to normal schedule!

JV Takes 2 Game Match Against Cy Ridge JV

The Lady Bulldogs JV put it together Tuesday night and pounded District 17-5A foe: Cy Ridge 'Lady Rams' JV in 2 straight games (25-11 and 25-21) with a great combination of an attacking offense and nifty ball control. The Lady Bullpups (now 3-4 district) appeared to be relaxed and confident with the lineup and played their brand of volleyball consistently through the entire match.

JV Middle Chelsea Jackson keeping an eye on the set from Sydney

O'Neal (8) before her attack against the Cy Ridge 'Lady Rams' JV.

Game # 1 started out with Lady Bulldog freshman MB Breane Matula opening the barrage with a quick kill in the middle and was followed up with 4 straight points - forcing Cy Ridge to take a time out to re-group at 0-5. The strategy back-fired when Magnolia's Kati Michael jammed the 'Lady Rams' immediately with one of her 4 kills for the game and another at 7-1, and 8-2. The Lady Bullpups were in control at 13-6 and with another kill by Kati Michael at 16-8, it was time to take her out and let the 'big dog' rest. The JV's then outscored the 'Lady Rams' 9-3 with a ball hawking defense, and timely offensive shots - culminating with a Chelsea Jackson boomer at 25-11.

Lady Bulldog JV Sydney O'Neal (8) tracking to the right to prepare

for transition as team mate MB Deane Matula awaits the ball.

Game # 2 started pretty much the same as the Lady Bulldogs' JV continued to ride their momentum wave to a quick 5-1 lead before Cy Ridge started to play great ball themselves and closed the lead at 6-5. The game remained close at 16-15 and seemed to be going Magnolia's way, when Chelsea Jackson blocked an attack at 20-17. Cy Ridge was not ready to give up and tied the game at 20-20 before the Lady Bullpups did "their thing" and scored 5 (points) to the Lady Rams' 1. The game was a great game from a spectator's view as the 2 teams slugged it out, point-for-point, like a couple of beasts in the 'wild', head-butting each other until one would either fall, or leave. Fortunately for Lady Bulldog fans - the ladies had harder heads and bullied the Lady Rams out of the Dawg House with a 25-21 final score ending the game and match!

Next up: the rival Tomball Lady Cougars in Tomball on Thursday night.

LET'S GET 'EM, LADY BULLDOGS !!!

Lady Bulldogs Take the High Road for Sweeping Win

Lady Bulldog Lauren Michael laying down one of her

13 kills against Cy Ridge. Alicia Shaffer (10) looks on.

Game #3 started out tight with little breathing room for both teams. The Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a small 5-2 lead and stretched it to 8-4 before the Lady Rams head-butted their way back to a 8-8 tie. Both teams stayed neck 'n neck at 11-11, 13-13, until Alicia Shaffer's kill at 19-17 helped the Lady Bulldogs pull away. Hannah Fort had a nice kill at 23-17, and from there the Lady Bulldogs applied their 'go-ahead Bulldog power' to cover up the Lady Rams at 25-17. Lauren Michael led the good guys and all hitters with 13 kills and Samantha Dee had 5 for Cy Ridge. This District 17-5A win puts the Lady Bulldogs district record at 5-2 (with the school's 4th sweep of the season) and an impending battle with our rival Tomball Lady Cougars to be played Thursday night in Tomball.

Magnolia's Lauren Michael and Alicia Shaffer lending

each other a helping hand in 25-17 win over Cy Ridge.

Audio for Game #3 and Sweep:

Lady Rams Get Scrappy with the Lady Bulldogs

Lady Bulldogs' Alicia Shaffer and Hannah Fort

'puttin' on the brakes' of a Lady Ram attack attempt.

Game #2 was not necessarily the 'prettiest' win you would've ever seen, but there were some interesting moments in this close contest. The fans were treated to possibly the best volleying they've seen yet this season, while the Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Rams were knocking on each other on a 4-4 tie for an eternity (3 or 4 volleyball minutes) - and it was just packed throughout with exciting digs and 'booming' attacks by both squads. The Lady Bulldogs fell backwards a little later and muddled through some sloppy play to fall behind for the majority of the game, trailing by as much as 3 at 12-15, until they tied it up, shortly thereafter, at 17-17. The Lady Bulldogs forged ahead at 19-17, 23-21 and then "dog-piled" the Lady Rams to close out the 25-23 contest.

Lady Bulldog Carly Springer keeping a close watch on the Lady Rams.

Here's audio with the score at 17-17 in Game #2:

Lady Bulldogs Knock 'Lady Rams' Out in Game #1

Lady Bulldog MB 'Boom Boom' Williams begins the

'festivities' with a kill to the right against Cy Ridge.

The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs came out of the starting gate "breathing fire" as they began their match with the Cy Ridge 'Lady Rams' tonight in Game #1. 'Boom Boom' Williams started the night out with a quick kill, then was followed up by 6 un-returnable serves by Alicia Shaffer to put the Lady Bulldogs on top 7-0 and to begin maintaining at least a 7 point margin for the entire game. Actually, during the middle of the game, Cy Ridge was trying to be more assertive and breathe a little life into themselves as well, and began to grasp the momentum. The Lady Bulldogs quickly went back to the drawing board and called on the 'Williams Glide" again to pound out a big point and a 15-8 score. When Lauren Michael followed up by peppering 2 straight kills at 18-11 and 19-11, Magnolia firmly established themselves as the 'big dogs ' in this dogfight.

Here's an audio file picking up near the finish of Game #1:

SCHEDULE CHANGES!!

Friday's scheduled match vs. Tomball at Tomball High School has been moved to Thursday night, Sept. 22nd instead. Times will remain unchanged...9A will play at 4:30 pm, 9B will follow, while JV will start at 5 pm, with Varsity scheduled for 6 pm. In anticipation of the inclement weather moving into the Houston area, both teams agreed to move the match to Thursday night, so that fewer students might be effected.

Also, when Magnolia visits Jersey Village on Sept. 30, the Varsity will play at 5 pm with the JV to follow. Freshman times will remain the same. Carly Springer, a senior defensive specialist, has been nominated to the Homecoming court for Magnolia and will be recognized at the halftime of that night's football game. She won't be wearing her volleyball jersey, but you will certainly want to come and cheer for Carly!!

Lady Bulldogs JV Drops District Match to Cy Falls JV

The Lady Bulldog JV bench (with the varsity behind them) try cheering

on the ladies on the court in an intense moment at Cy Falls.

The Lady Bulldogs JV dropped a heartbreaker match to the Cy Falls Lady Eagles JV on Friday night in 2 games to make their District 17-5A record to 2-4. The Lady Bulldogs JV played strong but were not enough to hold off the Lady Eagles JV and could not close out either game. The JV had some excellent play out of Kati Michael and MB Chelsea Jackson and freshman newcomer MB: Breane Matula. Sidelined OH, All Around player Brittany Wheaton is expected to return to play this week after an early season knee injury - at a time when the JV's could use a little defensive help and offensive punch.

DS Lynnsay Manning serving against Cy Falls.

The Lady Bulldogs will try to even their district record with wins to 4-4 while facing district rivals Cy Ridge and Tomball Lady Cougars JV this week.

GO GET 'EM LADY BULLDOGS !!!

Lady Bulldogs Sweep the Lady Eagles in Game # 3

Lady Bulldog Caitlin Holland showing perfect form while quick
setting to an attacking MB Hannah Fort in Game 3 against Cy Falls.

The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs (4-2) continued in their quest for the District 17-5A heirarchy with their bruising offense and stingy defense and a 'business-as-usual' approach while blasting the Cy Falls Lady Eagles (3-3) out of the friendly confines of their nest and in the ground once-and-for-all. Kudos go to Alicia Shaffer (good hitting throughout and great block assist at the end), Michele Williams (great kill in the middle of the game to go up by 6 at 13-7 AND her patented ''Williams' Glide'' kill at 25-20) and Heather Bowden (big hit at 23-17 coupled with great defense)! Hannah Fort chipped in with a great kill to put the Lady Bulldogs in a match 'death-grip' at 24-19. The digging and passing was good, deserving of high marks, and the setting was spread around very effectively as Caitlin Holland and Mary Chadwick worked real hard making their team mates look real good! All the ladies played consistent, cohesive and aggressive volleyball and kept their intensity level 'way up there' (where no Eagles dare) from the start of the match to boarding the bus for the ride home! I wonder what Coach J fed the ladies tonight - raw meat?!! Looking through the windows at their happy and sweaty faces - it looked to me like they still wanted more....

Here's the audio blog for Game # 3 picking up at 16-9 with the Lady Bulldogs in command:

Lady Bulldogs Bury Lady Eagles in Game #2

Boom. Boom. Out go the lights!! Lady Bulldog Michele Williams

glides to the right and unleashes a great kill to put the game out

of reach and to 'seal the deal' for the Lady Bulldogs at 24-20 in Game 2.

Game # 2: The Lady Bulldogs tightened the screws on Cy Falls once again, leading from the beginning (by 3 at 4-1, by 5 at 9-4, and by 6 at 13-7 and later at 23-17) and cruising to a 25-20 finish going away. Same story. Same cast of characters...but still hungry for more!!

Notice in the picture above how 'Boom Boom' has perfected the "Williams' Glide" by getting to the outside and delivering a kill before the opponent has a chance to get up to attempt a block. The Lady Bulldogs were quicker and simply 'on a mission' in tonight's match. This audio for Game #2 picks up with Magnolia on at 22-16 as the Lady Bulldogs continue their onslaught..

Lady Bulldogs Pluck Eagles Feathers in Game # 1

Lady Bulldog Lauren Michael sends a missle to the Cy Falls Lady Eagle's side of the net while serving notice that the "wrath has begun". #3 Michele Williams positions herself to collect any scattered feathers.

The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs pounced on Cy Falls as soon as they were let out of their cage Friday night and immediately devoured the Lady Eagles 25-17. Magnolia dominated and led the game from the beginning 3-1 to 9-4, 18-11, and 21-15, before closing the coop on the Lady Eagles at 25-17. More importantly, they set the tone for the rest of the night! There was no letting up for the Lady Bulldogs with their aggressive play and solid defense as Lauren Michael (15 Kills) and Michele Williams (12 Kills, 5 Blocks, and 4 Serve Aces) lit into Cy Falls frustrating and scattering the Lady Eagles all over the court. The rest of the Lady Bulldogs wanted pieces of the action as well, so Heather Bowden, Hannah Fort, Alicia Shaffer and Mary Chadwick stepped it up and muscled their way in totally overpowering the happless Lady Eagles. The audio blog (below) picks up the action at 19-13 with the Lady Bullgogs rolling over the grounded Lady Eagles while gathering momentum like a runaway train...

Lady Bulldogs Unable to Close Out Cy Fair

Lady Bulldogs Michele Williams, Lauren Michael, and Jamie Kaleh trying to show

Cy Fair how to surrender while Mary Chadwick awaits any 'not so friendly' response.

What a great district match it was that was played and witnessed at the Dawg House tonight as a couple of the top District 17-5A teams (Magnolia Lady Bulldogs 3-1 and Cy Fair Lady Bobcats 4-0) went head-to-head and toe-to-toe for 5 rounds, errr, games!! The slugfest was everything it was expected to be with great play by both teams and excitement galore! You know: your basic, hyped-up event, say a "no holds barred, 'Texas Death Match' - where 2 go in and only 1 can come out"!!....

Well, they tangled all right with Magnolia going after them from the onset and drawing first blood. But the experienced and un-nerved Cy Fair Lady Bobcats with 7 seniors and 3 juniors (out of 13 players on their roster) ended up coming out on top with the scores from the 5 games at 23-25, 25-23, 25-15, 14-25, and finally 15-13. Lauren Michael led the Lady Bulldogs and the game with 17 Kills and the Lady Bobcats' Alexis Ninos had 12 Kills.

You could probably surmise by looking at the scores, that these teams were evenly matched and were pretty much neck 'n neck through the three close games and just as brutal with each other with the 10 and 11 point beatings they gave each other in the other 2 games. And you would be right. It wasn't like this was the first time this team has come back from being on the ropes - as a matter of fact, it wasn't even the first time in the last week as Cy Fair battled back to beat Kingwood and capture the Kingwood Tournament Championship.

Lady Bulldog Alicia Shaffer on bended knee with a dig from Cy Fair.

Cy Fair continued to use that momentum for an easy win (25-15) in Game #3 as Magnolia began to fade. Cy Fair led this game 'wire-to-wire.

But the Lady Bulldogs who now had their backs against the wall, turned on the "juice" and blew Cy Fair away in Game #4 by a slightly bigger margin at 25-14 and were ready to have it out, once and for all, in the deciding Game #5. It was going to be a race to see who would get to 15 points first. Of course, even that was not going to be easy. The score was knotted from 2-2, 4-4, 6-6, and at 12-12 when Cy Fair pulled away to a 14-12 margin. All the hard work and tough playing and adrenalin was coming down to one play. The excitement heightened when Magnolia scored the next point to make it 14-13 and it looked like the game was about to go into extra-play, when Alexis Ninos blew a kill shot cross court behind Magnolia's blockers hitting the court as it skimmed out-of-bounds and it was over. Too quick...but volleyball played at its' finest!

The big step the Lady Bulldogs were making, will have to be a 'side-step' for the moment. The loss puts them at 3-2 in the district and widens the gap to 2 games with Cy Fair at 5-0 with Magnolia facing a match against the dangerous Cy Falls Lady Eagles coming up on Friday. The Lady Eagles just won against Tomball to put their district record similar to Magnolia's at 3-2.

17-5A STANDINGS
TEAM DISTRICT OVERALL
Cy-Fair 5-0 16-3
Langham Creek 5-0 15-5
Cypress Creek 4-2 10-12
Magnolia 3-2 15-6
Cypress Falls 3-2 6-13
Jersey Village 2-3 8-10
Tomball 1-5 6-12
Cypress Springs 1-5 2-15
Cypress Ridge 0-5 6-11

Magnolia JV Handled by Cy Fair Lady Bobcats JV

The Lady Bulldogs JV had one of those evenings where nothing worked right or came together. The Lady Bobcats JV from Cy Fair easily handled the Bullpups in two games (25-15 and 25-17) as Magnolia rolled over and never really threatened to go at them. You really can't take away a thing from Cy Fair however, who clearly was the stronger team this evening proving it by playing steady.

In Game #1 Cy Fair jumped on top 6-4 then opened it to 10-6, 17-9, 23-15, and then finished the Lady Bulldogs JV up mercifully by 10 points at 25-15. .

Game #2 Cy Fair was up by 4 at 9-5, then they were up by 8 at 16-8, and maintained that edge to finish the game and best-2-out-of-3 with a score of 25-17.

Lady Bulldog JV Katie Kreft passes the ball while

DS Lynnsay Manning keeps a watchful eye.

Let's put this match behind us, Lady Bulldogs (2-3) fans! They'll need to be ready for their next district foe: Cy Falls at Cy Falls High School on Friday at 5:00 PM and figure a way to get back into the district race.

LET'S GO LADY BULLDOGS !!

Time to Feed the Big Dogs !! - Week of 9/12

Hello Lady Bulldog Fans!! This is a big week for the Magnolia Lady Bulldogs as they take on two district volleyball rivals while making big strides in their quest to capture the District 17-5A Texas Volleyball Championship. Please come out and experience some top notch 5A ladies volleyball being played at the Dawg House on Tuesday and AWAY at Cy Falls on Friday. Please come early to support the JV team as well, as they will be playing at 5:00 PM before both varsity games. Here's the District 17-5A schedules for the week of 9/12 - 9/16, with the District 17-5A standings as of 9/12....

District 17-5A
Cy-Fair (4-0) at Magnolia (3-1) Sep 13 2005 6:00
Cypress Falls (2-2) at Tomball (1-4) Sep 13 2005 6:00
Cypress Creek (3-1) at Langham Creek (4-0) Sep 13 2005 6:00
Cypress Springs (1-4) at Jersey Village (2-2) Sep 13 2005 6:00
Cypress Ridge (0-5) at Klein Collins (3-2) Sep 13 2005 6:30

District 17-5A
Tomball at Cypress Ridge Sep 16 2005 6:00
Jersey Village at Cy-Fair Sep 16 2005 7:00
Magnolia at Cypress Falls Sep 16 2005 6:00
Channelview at Cypress Creek Sep 16 2005 6:30
Langham Creek at Cypress Springs Sep 16 2005 6:00

17-5A STANDINGS
TEAM DISTRICT/OVERALL
Langham Creek (4-0, 15-5)
Cy-Fair (4-0, 13-3)
Magnolia (3-1, 15-5)
Cypress Creek (3-1, 10-11)
Jersey Village (2-2, 7-9)
Cypress Falls (2-2, 5-13)
Tomball (1-4, 5-10)
Cypress Springs (1-4, 2-14)
Cypress Ridge (0-5, 6-10)

LET'S GET 'EM LADY BULLDOGS !!!

Lady Bulldogs JV in 'Volleyfest' at Magnolia Tournament

(MB) Jamie Kaleh attacking with Lady Bulldogs JV in classic defensive formation.

The Lady Bulldogs JV opened up play in the Magnolia JV Tournament, Saturday morning against Klein Collins and took the match in 2 games (25-23, 25-23) before they faced the Montgomery Lady Bears JV who had drawn a bye in the first round. What the fans saw was a great match of two determined teams who did not want to leave the court. The Lady Bulldogs JV split the first 2 games (18-25 then 25-13). In the third game the Bulldogs were in control at 16-9 with the help of Hanah Davies' 3 service aces in a row, but suddenly lost momentum and were outscored 14-7 to awaken and become tied at 23-23. A little later Magnolia had a chance to win at 24-23, but served the ball into the net which gave the Lady Bears JV a reprieve with new-found 'life'. It was all they needed as they won 26-24 on a final back-row error by the Lady Bulldogs JV mistakenly trying to play the ball as it was going out of bounds.

The Bullpups went to the consolation bracket where they faced Klein Collins again and took them in 2 games (25-18 and 25-22). The JV looked even stronger the second time around against Klein Collins by not relinquishing the lead in either of the two games.

Finally, Magnolia was crowned the Consolation Champion and finishing 5th overall, by defeating a tough Seven Lakes team. Jamie Kaleh continues to be the team leader in kills and blocks for the Lady Bulldogs JV. The JV's cumulative record now stands at: Matches 15-3, Games 33-10, and District 2-2.

Next up Cy Fair Lady Bobcats JV on Tuesday night 5:00 PM at the Dawg House. BE THERE !!

Lady Bulldogs Overpower Cy Springs Lady Panthers

Lady Bulldog Power! Michele Williams, Kristen Bergen, and Samantha Lange in front with Mary Chadwick lurking nearby as Alicia Shaffer fires off another service ace.

Seigfreid and Roy couldn't have handled the Panthers from Cy Springs any better than the (15-5) Magnolia Lady Bulldogs did Friday night in front of a sparse crowd at the Cy Springs High School. Magnolia stretched their district record to 3-1 with an impressive outing while they de-clawed the Lady Panthers and then chewed up the defenseless Panthers in 3 straight games (25-10, 25-15, and 25-15). The Lady Panthers had no answer for Michele 'Boom Boom' Williams who buried them 12 times with her patented rockets. They also were about to experience some other problems, namely: returning Alicia Shaffer's serves, attacking the Lady Bulldogs without getting the ball blocked, committing unforced errors and basically , SURVIVAL !!! because the Lady Bulldogs still weren't about to let up for a bit.

Game #1 the Bulldogs started strong, looked like the defense was flowing to the ball, and very methodically picked Cy Springs apart. Before the Lady Panthers knew it, they were down 5-15, and out 10-25, and they hadn't had time to get a drink of water.

Game #2 started a little slower for the Lady Bulldogs after jumping on top at 5-2 and then surprisingly tied at 7-7 before turning on the after-burners and blowing open a 13-7 run to make the score 20-14. A quick 5 points later: badda bing!! 25-15...

Game #3 never got close. Magnolia led 5-1, 11-8 with a great kill by Alicia Shaffer, then stretched to 17-11 before the Lady Bulldogs outscored Cy Springs 8-4 running away and winning the match at 25-15.

Doesn't look like Cy Springs will be getting this one

any further - Boom Boom Williams has got a hand on it.

The Lady Bulldogs will be tangling with the district leading Cy Fair Lady Bobcats next Tuesday at 6:00 PM at the Dawg House. Please support your Lady Bulldogs.

Lady Bulldog JV Tames the Cy Springs Panthers

Lady Bulldogs JV Kati Michael guiding a kill down the right side against Cy Springs.

The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs JV volleyball team put a big W in the Win column Friday night against their district foe Cy Springs at Cy Springs High School in their match featuring the best 2 out of 3. Again, the Lady Bullpups put on a 'ball control' exhibition

The Lady JVs took Game #1 (25-21) after leading from wire-to-wire with an aggressive front line coupled with defense and great passing. Magnolia jumped on top immediately with a Kati Michael kill to put them at 3-0 and held on to the lead until 11-11, when they began to pull away at 18-13, then 22-17 with a Jamie Kaleh block point and a kill at 24-21, before Cy Springs fell on their sword at 25-21 with an error.

Jamie Kaleh and Kati Michael teaming up to put this one on ice, against Cy Springs.

Game #2 was the Lady Bulldogs turn to commit the errors as they committed 4 service errors out of the 8-5 lead that they had. Katie Kreft had a kill and was followed up with a kill by Kati Michael in the corner that put Magnolia on top at 10-8 - but not for long! The teams knotted up the score at 10-10 and again at 13-13, before Cy Springs began taking advantage of more Magnolia JV unforced errors and pulled away for good 22-17 and with a final serve out-of-bounds, it was over with the Lady Panthers winning 25-20.

Game #3 was all Lady Bullpups...Again, from start-to-finish the JVs attacked relentlessly and controlled the ball beautifully with great passing, digging, and setting. After setting the bar higher by raising the level of play at 6-2, they maintained the same margin at 16-12, then outscored a determined Cy Springs team 9-5 to the finish, culminating with a statement and resounding kill 'straight to the floor' by Lady Bulldog JV Middle Hitter Jamie Kaleh. Point, Game and Match...it's Over!!

The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs JV are now 2-2 in District 17-5A play and will be taking on the Cy Fair Lady Bobcats JV at the Dawg House on Tuesday at 5:00 PM.

JV Snared by Lady Cougars JV in Three

Lady Bulldog JV's stand guard as the Lady Bulldogs

prepare to serve against their district 17-5A foe: Cy Creek.

The Magnolia Lady Bulldogs JV and Cy Creek Lady Cougars JV volleyball squads met in their 2005 district inaugural match Tuesday night with all the intensity and fireworks expected in a best '2-out-of-3' district match. Game #1 Cy Creek jumped on the slow starting, evenly-matched Magnolia Lady Bulldogs JV 6-2 and extended their early dominance to 13-5 before they slowly began squandering it. While the Lady Cougars were resting on their laurels, the Lady Bulldogs JV woke up and clawed their way back to close the margin to 3 points at 10-13, and then turned the tide with a Katie Kreft kill to tie the game at 14-14. The Lady Bulldogs JV had a distinct advantage and momentum working for them as they pushed the score to 20-16, when the Lady Cougars JV fought back to tie the game again at 20-20 and Coach Bialas called for a time-out. It was all that was needed for the Lady Bulldogs JV to re-capture their late momentum and to ice the Lady Cougars 25-22. Good game, but numerous back row errors reared it's ugly head.

Lady Bulldogs JV Players Kati Michael and Jamie Kaleh positioning

themselves for an attack against the Cy Creek Lady Cougars.

Game #2 started with a quick kill by Cy Creek, but was quickly followed up by a good kill on the right line and then immediately with a blocked point by Kati Michael to put the Lady Bulldogs JV on top at 2-1. The Lady Bulldogs JV were in control even though they had 3 consecutive serve errors to allow the Cy Creek JV to tie the game at 10-10. When Magnolia forged ahead and was in control at 22-17, the Cy Creek JV called time out to re-group, and re-group they did! They promptly scored 5 straight points as the Lady Bulldogs JV began making errors and stalling their attacks. Cy Creek went ahead to stay at 23-22 with a critical error in judgement by the Lady Bulldogs JV backrow, taking advantage of the new-found momentum and then coasting to a 25-22. It was as if new life had been breathed into their lungs...

The Lady Bulldogs JV never seemed to get their momentum back in Game #3 and trailed by at least 4 points from 5-9 forward. Actually, the game started out like it was going to be a 'barn-burner' with both teams knotted up at 5-5. But the Cy Creek JV pulled away and led by 5 at 21-16 and breezed to a 25-19 Game and Match (District 17-5A) win.

The Lady Bulldogs JV are now 1-2 in district play and will fighting to improve that record against Cy-Springs on Friday afternoon at 5:00 PM at Cy Springs High School. Directions can be found on the Bulldogs website.

GO LADY BULLDOGS JV !! EAT 'EM UP!!

Big District Win for Varsity at the Dawg House

Lady Bulldogs Kelli Stewart (18) and Michele Williams (23) seen

here 'extending a friendly Dawg House welcome' to another

doomed attack attempt from Cy Creek.

What a difference a year makes! Last year was a rebuilding year for both the Cy Creek Lady Cougars and the Magnolia Lady Bulldogs. It was supposed to be anyway, except Cy Creek took a team full of seniors who just played well together and surprised many with a District Championship. This year it was time for a little revenge... Cy Creek came into the Dawg House 3-0 in district play and a dangerous, perennial-of-a-powerhouse program, that could've made huge strides with a win over the Lady Bulldogs. Instead tonight, it was the Lady Bulldogs who were the ones making a statement....

The Lady Bulldogs (2-1 District play) smothered the Lady Cougars in 3 straight games (25-21, 25-18, and 25-20) and sent them scampering away with their tails between their legs! The Lady Bulldogs controlled the net, played good defense, and made quite a few less errors to prove that the Lady Cougars were no match for the Lady Bulldogs. Again, Michele 'Boom Boom' Williams (11 Kills) controlled the middle and sent a few missiles exploding on their side of the net. Lauren Michael (11 Kills) kept them on the back of their paws with a few of her own, then changed them up and would strategically drop the ball in front of them. Alicia Shaffer also had 11 Kills - (do you kind of get the idea that the ball was spread around, or what?) Quite a few "Stuffed Shirts" went out to the appreciative fans for blocked points.

Lady Bulldog Alicia Shaffer (10) taking advantage of an

opening as she blasts one of her 11 kills against Cy Creek.

Game #1 got off to an unusual start with a penalty point being assessed against Magnolia before the game actually began. I'm not sure what the ruling was, but I presume it was for a libero substitution before the referee had checked the rotation schedule. After a couple of ominous points by Cy Creek, the Lady Bulldogs jumped on top to a 7-4 lead, then extended it to 11-6 keeping a comfortable margin until things got a little sticky at 23-21. The Lady Bulldogs quickly slammed the door (with the Lady Cougar's tails in it) to finish going away at 25-21.

In Game #2 the Lady Bulldogs again jumped on Cy Creek early at 11-7 and maintained at least a 5 point lead throughout the game to stretch it to 7 at the finish 25-18.

Game #3 was tied at 4-4 when Cy Creek rattled off 5 straight points and looked like they wanted to hang around some more. Magnolia tied the game at 14-14 then poured it on to have a 21-18 advantage. The Lady Bulldogs then chomped down to make the final 25-20 and a clean sweep of their district foe.

Next up: Cy Springs in a district match on Friday 9/9 AWAY at 6:00 PM.