By Rob Tate
SportCast Media
This Tuesday is a match the Oak Ridge War Eagles have been looking forward to.
How do they stack up against the defending UIL Class 6A champions?
Oak Ridge (26-6, 3-1) will take its first of two shots against rival Grand Oaks (25-6, 5-0) in District 13-6A at 5:30 p.m. in the Grizzlies home gymnasium.
Grand Oaks is ranked No. 4 in the state by the Texas Girls Coaches Association and have won four straight matches.
The War Eagles, meanwhile, ride a three-match winning streak into the contest. They defeated Conroe in four sets last Tuesday in district play before pulling out a five-set non-district win at Klein Cain on Friday. Oak Ridge hasn’t lost in exactly two weeks when it fell to College Park.
Grand Oaks picked up sweeps over New Caney and Conroe last week and hasn’t lost so far in September. The Grizzlies last lost on Aug. 31 to No. 13-ranked Keller. Grand Oaks was taken to five sets in district play against The Woodlands (Aug. 27) and College Park (Sept. 6).
Grand Oaks head coach Morgan Rogers’ squad features the formidable offensive standout duo of Wisconsin commit Halle Thompson and Pittsburgh commit Samara Coleman. Including Coleman, Grand Oaks has just three seniors.
Grand Oaks has losses to the aforementioned Keller, Fulshear, Colleyville Heritage, Lucas Lovejoy and Cypress Ranch.
Oak Ridge’s Gaby Santiago continues to add kills as she leads the team with 275. The junior also leads the team in aces with 69 and digs with 342.
Brandi Rhodes, a senior, leads Oak Ridge in assists with 437 and has 147 digs.
Grand Oaks went 50-1 last year and undefeated in district play. The last Grizzlies district loss came September 2022 against The Woodlands.
The War Eagles haven’t had much luck historically with Grand Oaks, which branched off of Oak Ridge when it opened in 2018. The Grizzlies are 9-1 all-time against Oak Ridge and hasn’t dropped a set since the August 2021 match-up. The War Eagles only win over Grand Oaks came in October 2020.
After Tuesday’s match, Oak Ridge’s four-match road trip continues Friday, 5:30 p.m. at Willis. The Wildkats (20-14, 3-2), under new head coach Kayla Jenkins, enter the week a half-match behind the War Eagles in the district standings. Willis has alternated wins in losses in the month of September. The Wildkats lost College Park last Tuesday before bouncing back with a sweep of New Caney on Friday.
Oak Ridge is 19-3 against Willis since 2007 with fourth straight wins. The War Eagles swept the WIldkats in district play last year and also beat them in two sets at the Huntsville Tournament last month.
2. College Park 4-1
3. The Woodlands 3-1
4. Oak Ridge 3-1
5. Willis 3-2
6. Conroe 1-3
7. Caney Creek 1-3
8. New Caney 0-4
9. Cleveland 0-5
