ZEPHYR – In the midst of the most successful campaign in school history, one multiple Zephyr Lady Bulldogs have referred to as ‘the miracle season,’ the program has secured its first-ever regional tournament berth and will compete at 3 p.m. Friday at Midlothian High School against No. 6 Benjamin in the Region II-A volleyball semifinals.

The third seed out of District 15-A, the Lady Bulldogs’ goal was to simply win the area championship, which they did with a sweep of District 13 champion Lingleville that followed a sweep of District 16 runner-up Gustine.

Pitted on Tuesday night against District 15 champion Rochelle, which defeated the Lady Bulldogs (29-11) twice in league play, logical expectations would have been for Zephyr’s season to reach its conclusion, as district results are usually mirrored in the postseason.

But not for the Lady Bulldogs, who had defeated Rochelle in tournament action earlier in the season, then landed in the win column again 23-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-19 to the secure the caliber of victory not experienced in Zephyr in the program’s previous seven seasons, dating back to 2016.

“This feels amazing just to be part of it,” said senior Cali McRee. “When I was a freshman we weren’t making the playoffs, there wasn’t a team vibe. From my freshman year to now I never thought we’d go this far. And to know now we’re two games away from state is nerve-racking but also exciting.”

Along with McRee, the Zephyr roster is comprised of fellow seniors Avery Dozier and Bethany Blair; juniors Haley Eason and Madison McClain; sophomore Aliyah Harlan; and freshmen Riley Hood, Avery Williams, Nae’J Payne, and Kirsten King.

Joan Karnes is in her fifth season at Zephyr but first as volleyball head coach. Lori Eason is the assistant and junior Bailey Hector serves as team manager.

Regarding the growth of the volleyball program during her time in Zephyr, Karnes said, “At the high school level it’s improved and changed. We’ve had a lot more interest, a lot more determination, girls that really want to make it further each year. From a coaching standpoint, it’s been more fun this year and the girls have picked up their volleyball IQ, the willingness to learn and be coachable. I can’t be more proud of them.”

The other Region II-A semifinal pits Harrold against Evant, a team the Lady Bulldogs swept in their final home match of the regular season. That victory lit a fire under the Zephyr players and helped them realize what all could be accomplished in the playoffs.

“That was a huge victory for us, sweeping Evant,” Eason said. “That’s a really good team and that’s when I thought we could do this.”

McRee added, “We didn’t know how we were going to do coming out of district, but all of the sudden everyone’s mindset changed. They weren’t just playing for themselves anymore, but playing for everyone on the floor, more as a team. Going this far, my senior year, it’s a great way to leave Zephyr.”

Reflecting on Tuesday’s victory over Rochelle, the key, according to McClain, was, “Trusting each other. We completely fell apart when we played them in district both times, an entire meltdown. But each week we’ve found something different to work on, to focus on at practice. One thing at a time and one day at a time.”

For Eason, “We knew coming in we had to play tough, we had to play smart and we wanted revenge.” She added, “The two district games they whooped us pretty good. Our team has faced so much adversity, honestly it’s a miracle season and I’m really proud of us.”

Karnes added, “We went out there with nothing to lose. The odds were against us. We played them, we knew we could compete with them. We wanted to go out there and leave it all on the court and we did. That was the difference.”

Looking forward to Friday’s battle with state-ranked Benjamin, Karnes said, “If we want to keep our season going we can’t let height scare us. We do play against height in our district with Richland Springs, and Rochelle has a little bit. We can’t let that deter us because we know if we can get the defense down, our offense will take off. We also need to know as long as we move our feet and communicate, our plays will be there.”

Eason added, “We made school history, all of our goals this season and more than we thought we were capable of. We’re just going in there with the mindset that we have nothing to lose. We’re going to give Benjamin a game and if they win it’s because they earned it, not because we gave it to them.”

With the Bulldog football team facing Cherokee in the bi-district round of the playoffs at 7 p.m. Friday in San Saba, the crowd for the Lady Bulldogs might not be what they hoped, but those in attendance will be voicing their full-throat support – even those on the bench.

“We won’t have most of our fan base because the football players will be headed to their game in San Saba,” Hector said. “They do help a lot, but I cheer a lot. Most of the girls are my classmates and really close friends. I’m happy for them and excited to see them grow as a team. I love watching them play. Even though I’m not on varsity I’ve loved every minute watching these girls play and they deserve this.”

Regardless of what happens Friday, no one will be able to take away the accomplishments the Lady Bulldogs have already achieved. And though 2023 isn’t over yet, and could extend well into the month of November, thoughts toward the future are already brewing.

“If we got two more wins this weekend, it would really be a miracle season,” McClain said. “It already is now, but then it would really be something. And we’ve improved so much this year that next year for our senior year we could be even better.”