Volleyball aims to continue win streak against tough competition

Ryan Wang, Staff Writer • September 5, 2019

The volleyball team (28-4) will face off against the Sachse Mustangs (24-6) in an away match on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. before playing the number one ranked 6A team in the nation Byron Nelson (23-1) next Tuesday at 6:30 pm at home. The Leopards will be looking to continue their winning streak (four) after defeating Prosper twice, McKinney Boyd, and Churchill.

With new head coach Ryan Mitchell at the helm, the season started well after the team claimed 28 wins from 32 games, ranking them fourth in state and nationally. The team played nine games fifth in the tournament.

“I have been very pleased with our play during the month of August.” Mitchell said. “I hope to build a team that play to our potential. We are always setting our sights on championships here and this year is no different, we want a district championship and a shot at the state title this year.”

Sachse is currently ranked 23rd in the state, and 37th nationally. The Mustangs are also undefeated at home, while the Leopards have not lost a single match away this season. Lovejoy has a higher scoring average per set than Sachse, and a high win percentage as well.

“We have a much smaller team this year height wise, and Sachse is a big blocking team,” junior Cecily Bramschreiber said. “[They are] very offensive, but I think with our ball control and defense in the back row, it should help.”

The Leopards also played McKinney Boyd this Tuesday, claiming a 3-0 victory against the Broncos. Boyd only scored 55 points across three sets, compared to Lovejoy’s 75 points.

“So far the team had performed pretty well, [considering] we lost a couple of seniors like Madison Watters and a couple of main hitters,” Bramschreiber said. “Seeing some more competition and getting in more practice will help.”

About the Contributors

Ryan Wang, Section Editor

They say third time’s the charm, but as senior Ryan Wang struggles to write his third (and last) staff bio, he feels anything but charming. Being crowned the new Arts & Entertainment editor for TRL, he’s spent the past few months perfecting his craft by watching an unhealthy amount of movies.. Having lost touch with reality, he’s gone back to his roots and doing what he does best: making sandwiches, walking his cat, and shouting loudly at the Pittsburgh Penguins on TV. Needless to say, he can’t wait to go back to school to see his friends, zone out in class, and go on boba-trips eight times a week. Aside from running his extremely legit “Magic Zappy Machine” business, Ryan is also involved in speech & debate, investing club, dishwashing, NHS, and of course, The Red Ledger. He’s looking forward to another great year on staff, where he’ll be looking to connect with new writers, producing great content, and most importantly, raiding the local snack cabinet.

Grace Nguyen, Section Editor

Fueled daily by three iced vanilla coffees, standing at 5’2”, Grace Nguyen will walk into the E103 door with no problem. Grace is entering senior year, and the only reason she is believed to have survived high school is because of the napping couch in the photography studio. During her time on staff, Grace has been to almost every football game, win or loss, and wouldn’t have changed a thing. Yes, Grace has been tackled by football players, run over by coaches, and body slammed by referees. Nonetheless, Grace will confidently walk on the field this year, bruises and all, alongside her sideline media team. Stepping outside the newsroom, which is rare, Grace enjoys playing softball, hanging out with family and friends, and finding excuses to go to every $3 Pazookie Tuesdays at BJ’s. After high school, Grace hopes to pursue a career in sports photojournalism, so watch out for her still getting run over by athletes on ESPN in the years to come. Although it’s bittersweet to leave newspaper upon graduation, Grace is thankful for all the opportunities that she’s had on staff. Through The Red Ledger, Grace created long-lasting friendships and won a lot of awards that she never imagined was possible. Grace hopes that current and future staffers will think of this national-award-winning publication the same way as she did–a second family and their home away from home.