Lady Rams Sweep LW, Coach Get’s 100th Win

Team Photo By Lauretta Poole

August 24

14:09 2022

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By Amy Bearden

Change doesn’t happen over night. It’s baby steps and I believe they have made huge gains…
MWHS Head Volleyball Coach Kimberly Branch

*Head Coach Kimberly Branch Hits Milestone Victory*

As if all three volleyball teams sweeping Lake Worth wasn’t enough reason to celebrate, the Lady Rams are now part of a historic win for Head Coach Kimberly Branch.

Last night’s victories were just a little sweeter than usual for the new coach as it was her 100th career win. She celebrated with her team after the victory and was presented with balloons to commemorate the fete.

When asked about the accomplishment, Branch leaned on humility and sound advice from her dad, who was also a coach for many years.

“We coached together and he always taught me it was never about me. He never acknowledged his accomplishments. My mom felt it was her motherly duty to acknowledge mine,” said Branch.

Mom is clearly still her biggest fan as she was the one who showed up to the game with celebratory balloons for the girls to present to her daughter.

Branch must have learned the lesson of humbleness her dad sought to teach as she didn’t want to spotlight herself.

“While I’m excited, I’m more focused on the memories that have been made. The teams I’ve coached, the girls that have impacted me, the families and friends I’ve made, the coaches I’ve learned from, that have challenged me, became friends,” she said. “It’s been a fun five seasons of volleyball.“

*Head Coach Kimberly Branch says the 2022 Teams are Making a Name for MWVB*

The Lady Rams have had a great start to the 2022 season and their success helped Coach Branch snag her 100th victory.

“I’m excited this team was a part of this. They have achieved so much in such a short amount of time. Winning their first tournament of the season, first time ever making it to the Gold bracket… this is just another milestone they’ve reached. Excited to see what’s next for us,” she stated.

The Lady Rams travel to Dublin this weekend for tournament play.

Match Scores and Highlights

Varsity

The Varsity Lady Rams beat Lake Worth in four sets after losing the first one. Scores were 21-25, 25-13,25-22 and 25-21. Hailee Cunningham, Nevaeh Strange, Aryan Perez each had 10 kills and Caylee Cloud had 8. Brittany Delk had 3 serving aces while Hudson Hobbs had 2. Caylee Cloud made 4 blocks, Hailee Cunningham had 3 and Kahlea Samples and Nevaeh Strange each had 2. Brittany Delk had 26 digs, Abbey Tincher had 17 and Isavel Ramirez had 13. Brittany Delk also had 29 assists while Hannah Perales and Isavel Ramirez had 4 each.

Last week the Lady Rams traveled to Graham for more tournament play after the previous weeks Tournament Championship win in Castleberry. Unfortunately in Graham they came up against a highly ranked 2A team from Lindsay. They lost in two sets against the powerhouse but Coach Branch said the losses were bearable.

“I didn’t think they were disappointing at all. They advanced to the gold bracket of a tough tournament which hasn’t been done at Mineral Wells. They played really hard against some tough competition and gained knowledge. The opposing coach said we were tougher to beat than she thought.”

*The Lady Rams, led by Head Coach Kimberly Branch travel to Dublin this weekend for tournament play.*

“These young ladies are changing the view of Mineral Wells volleyball and leaving their mark. I was very impressed and proud of how they are competing and fighting. They are really starting to gel as a team and I think In the long run this will play to our favor. Change doesn’t happen over night. It’s baby steps and I believe they have made huge gains… winning opening tournament at Castleberry, advancing to the Gold Bracket at the Lu Allen tournament… we will just continue to gain more consistency with skills. By doing that, they will continue to gain confidence,” said Branch.

Junior Varsity

The Lady Rams took down Lake Worth in two sets, 25-14 and 25-12.

Last week JV volleyball earned 3rd place in the Poolville VARSITY tournament (just missing one teammate in the picture). The future of MWVB is bright. Sophomore Hailey McWhoter was named to the All-Tournament Team and took home a medal.

Freshman Volleyball

The Ninth grade team also took out Lake Worth in two sets, 25-9 and 25-12.

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