The Lady Jackets are searching for that first district match win, having dropped the first two matches to Alba–Golden and Grand Saline last week. As they gear up for this week’s challenges Tuesday at Lone Oak and Friday at Rains, the team will be focused on maintaining the mental discipline “to finish.”

Mineola was competitive in both matches last week. Turning the tide to take the third set against Alba-Golden and taking that edge well into the fourth set, the Lady Jackets couldn’t maintain the advantage and lost the last set 22 – 25. Sabria Dean distinguished herself both with her ability at the net as well as her on-court leadership.

The Lady Jackets jumped out to a quick lead against Grand Saline last Friday with a four and five point rally, but could not maintain the pace and fell in straight sets. Receive Libero Cyndi Butler recorded a notably high passing percentage in the match, although the Lady Jackets had to work hard to convert them to points.

While each match uncovers improvements in some aspects of the game, Coach VanCleave stated, “We have to control what we can control and win the battle from start to finish.” She continued, “We need to build off the momentum when it’s in our favor and find a way to turn it when it’s not.”

It is clear that the team is searching for that killer mentality on the court. They appear to be on the cusp of finding that focus, and once they do, they will be very difficult to stop.