CABOOL –– Sensing his team was becoming anxious and uptight in the second set of its district opener, Houston volleyball coach Barry Wheeler called timeout. Not to discuss strategy, but to tell a joke.
“I asked them, ‘What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo?’” Wheeler said. “‘One weighs about a ton and one is a little lighter.’”
The lighthearted approach apparently worked.
The Lady Tigers pulled out the second set and beat Ava 25-17, 26-24 Monday night in the first round of the Class 2 District 9 tournament.
“They got a little bit anxious and uptight, so we called timeout to try to relax them,” Wheeler said. “Sometimes telling a joke helps relieve the tension.”
The victory was the first district win for the program in three seasons. Although the Lady Tigers’ season ended Tuesday night with a 25-11, 25-11 loss to defending state champion Mountain View-Liberty, Wheeler said advancing to the semifinals was an important step for his team.
Houston finished with an 11-16-3 record in its first season under Wheeler.
“Big win for us, no doubt about that,” Wheeler said. “It’s great for the kids to be able to experience this.”
HHS started strong in the district opener.
Ahead 7-6, the Lady Tigers got kills from Alyssa Hayes and Abby Casper during a 9-2 run that put them ahead 16-8.
The advantage was 20-10 when Sarah Kelley tipped the ball past the Ava defenders at the net.
“For us, it’s passing,” Wheeler said. “If we can pass close to the net, we’re actually pretty good.”
In the second set, Katelyn Martinez had a block during a 6-1 spurt, and the Lady Tigers led 10-3 following an ace from Chloe Hunninghake.
Hayes’ block put Houston ahead 23-17 before Ava scored four straight points. Wheeler called timeout, told his joke and the Lady Tigers held on for the victory.
The semifinals proved to be more challenging. After Kelley’s block gave HHS an early 6-5 lead, the Liberty scored nine answered points and easily advanced.
Liberty defeated Cabool in straight sets to win the district crown.
“We told them not to base our season on wins and losses,” Wheeler said. “It’s how good we’ve become as a team and individually. If you’ll talk to the kids, they’ll all say as a team and individually we all got better.”
Districts was the finale in the careers of the Lady Tigers’ five seniors: Kelley, Martinez, Camryn Scheets, Sammy Garrett and Krista Scott. But Wheeler hopes it’s the foundation for future success for the program.
“We’re in the process of building this program up back to where it was when coach (Debbie) James had it,” he said. “We’re getting some things in place so the kids can play more often. Kids are excited.
“If we can get the ball rolling, I really think we can have something pretty cool again in Houston.”
HHS senior Camryn Scheets (9) hits the ball past an Ava defender during the second set of Monday’s district victory.