By Rob Tate
SportCast Media
By the end of this week, the first round of District 13-6A volleyball will be complete.
The Oak Ridge War Eagles have another challenging schedule ahead as they wrap up with the final two opponents that haven’t played this season.
On Tuesday night, Oak Ridge (27-7, 4-2) returns home after four consecutive matches on the road. It will play host to Caney Creek (16-13, 3-3) at 5:30 p.m.
On Friday night, the War Eagles face longtime Conroe ISD rival The Woodlands (24-7, 5-1), also at 5:30 p.m.
The War Eagles went 1-1 last week. They were swept by state-ranked Grand Oaks last Tuesday before recovering nicely Friday at Willis in a sweep.
Also on Friday night, Caney Creek made some noise by knocking off Conroe to take control of sixth place in the league standings.
Caney Creek, now winners of two straight matches, hadn’t beaten Conroe since 2018 and are now 2-12 all-time against the Tigers.
Oak Ridge comes into the match with the Panthers with a great track record. The War Eagles are 6-0 all-time against Caney Creek and have never dropped a set against them in that span.
In fact, Oak Ridge is 4-0 at home this season with all matches ending in sweeps.
The Woodlands poses a bigger challenge.
The Highlanders are ranked No. 10 in Class 6A and enter the week in second place, behind Grand Oaks, in the district standings.
The Woodlands, just two years removed from its last trip to the UIL 6A state tournament, has won 12 straight matches. The Highlanders feature senior Ella Lewis, an Arizona State commit, and Abby Lewis, a Southern Mississippi beach volleyball commit.
The Highlanders have won 11 straight against Oak Ridge dating back to 2018. The War Eagles have won nine times against them since 2007.
Senior Bradi Rhodes continues to have a big impact on Oak Ridge, both offensively and defensively. She leads the team in assists with 456 and has 151 digs.
Junior Gaby Santiago has 282 kills, 72 aces and 358 digs to lead in all three categories.
Junior Leila Ceaser is second in kills (208) and digs (253).
DISTRICT 13-6 STANDINGS
Grand Oaks 6-0
The Woodlands 5-1
College Park 5-2
Oak Ridge 4-2
Willis 4-3
Caney Creek 3-3
Conroe 1-5
New Caney 0-6
Cleveland 0-6
Oak Ridge sophomore Micah Rusher hits the ball in a match Sept. 17, 2024 at Grand Oaks High School. (Chris Zorzi/SportCast Media)
