The third annual Dig for a Cure game was played Friday night, Sept. 12 at McNeil, with the Lady Mavs playing against the Round Rock Lady Dragons. This year the Lady Mavs out digged the Lady Dragons.

Both of the teams competed to win the match, but also for a bigger cause: to raise awareness in the fight against breast cancer. The two teams dedicated and donated the game’s funds to the Susan C. Brown Memorial Scholarship.

During the first set of the match, the Lady Mavs struggled to gain back the ground lost at the beginning of the set. The team did not flounder from any major mistakes, but rather from small mistakes that brought the loss of the first set. The Lady Mavs lost 18-25. However, the second set brought the Mavs back on track.

“This team is hard working,” coach Kate Kennedy said. “The girls have a lot of volleyball smarts and are very good at strategy.”

By continuing to work hard, the Lady Mavs went on to win the second set by a score of 25-15.

During the third set the Lady Dragons and Lady Mavs were neck-and-neck, from the 15th point on. Each closing point brought friction between the teams and excitement from the players and crowd.

“The fans have been great,” Kennedy said. “At home games the stands are becoming fuller each time we play.”

The crowd cheered on the players, including senior Jake Malone who dressed up as a gorilla. Despite the positive encouragement, the Lady Mavs lost the third set, 21-25. The Lady Mavs also went on to win the fourth and fifth sets, giving them the overall win for the match.

The Lady Mavs are off to an undefeated start, with the help of their new coach.

“We are heading into district with a record of 22-6,” Kennedy said. “We had a 16-game winning streak in that record.”

The Lady Mavs hope for their winning streak to continue, and Kennedy is prepared to take the girls there.

“This is my 10th year teaching and coaching, first at McNeil,” Kennedy said. “The last six years I was an assistant coach at Vista Ridge, spent one year at Three Rivers and started my coaching career at Brentwood Christian School, for two years.”

With Coach Kennedy’s experience in coaching volleyball, the Lady Mavs are set for a good year; just by looking at their pre-season they are ready to dominate.

“For me, one of the more exciting games was our first game this season at home against Anderson,” Kennedy said. “As a coach, I’m still very competitive and was looking for a win to start the season. We got the win and we got it at home.”