Lady Bulldogs honored for special season
Grissom guided Burnet to a 25-16 season and an impressive playoff run that spanned into the regional quarterfinals. The Burnet coach, who took over the reins this season after serving as a varsity assistant at New Braunfels, credited her players for the honor.
“I truly believe I received these honors because of the girls,” Grissom said. “They got out there, performed and got some attention that they hadn’t had before. This honor goes to them also.”
Along with Grissom, several players were recognized for their exceptional performances.
Senior Manda Martin was named the district’s co-outstanding setter.
“She is very deserving,” Grissom said. “She was vital to our team this year. Besides being the setter, she was also one of our top passers. When we needed a play at an important time, she was usually the one to get it done for us.”
Yudith Ortiz was named to the first team all-district .
“It is tough for a defensive specialist to get recognized but Yudith stood out,” Grissom said. “We couldn’t have beaten Wimberley and Fredericksburg in the first round of district without her outstanding defense. She was a little fire ball out there.”
Junior Laura Servise also received first team all-district honors.
“Her play at the net was a threat to every team,” the coach said. “When she was on, she was unstoppable.”
Selected to second all-district team were Mandi Lindley and Eden Sultemeir. Grissom said Sultemeir surprised district coaches as an outside hitter and described Lindley as a great leader, who triggered the offense along with Martin and was huge on defense, refusing to let the ball hit the floor.
Seniors Emily Vaughan and Vandi Vann received honorable mention all-district honors. In addition, every member of the team including Vaughan, Martin, Vandi Vann, Lindley, Ortiz, Sultemeir, Servise and Laila El-Far were named academic all-district by maintaining a 90 or higher grade-point average during the first two six-weeks of the school year.
Grissom expressed appreciation to all the players but especially the seniors for their efforts and commitment.
“This senior group will be missed,” she said. “They were a great group to get to work with because they really wanted to be successful. They worked hard every day, and I think they are very happy with how successful they were this season. The seniors have started a tradition here with volleyball, and I look for the upcoming teams to strive for what they have set as a standard.”
The Burnet coach added she had concerns about assuming a team comprised primarily of seniors but believes the players grew with the experience.
“When I took the job here at Burnet, I was a little worried about the acceptance of a new coach with a big group of seniors,” she said. “These girls accepted the system and the way things were done and did their best at it. They learned what it took to be successful, and I hope they can take some of this with them into the real world.”
Grissom said that while the players learned her system, the key to their success was they came to “believe that anything was possible.”
“At the beginning of the season, the girls had a hard time believing that anything was possible,” she said. “We talked every day about really believing deep down that they were a good team and that we could beat those big teams. At the end of the season, the girls showed no fear of any team. They knew that they could beat any team on the other side of the net. This was the biggest factor to our success.”
For her personally, the year was unforgettable.
“It has been great,” the coach said. “The support I have received from the coaching staff, fellow teachers, administration and from the community has been overwhelming.”