“I always like to look at it as a regular match. The kids can’t do that,” said eighth-year coach Hughlett, whose 14-15 Temple squad will meet the 11-8 Lady Tigers at 5:30 p.m. today at Tiger Gym in the District 12-5A opener for both teams. “It’s always a fun and interesting match. You can’t help but get excited about it because the kids are so antsy about it.
“I spent all week trying to calm them down. It’s a classic rivalry.”
First-year Tigers coach Justeen Patton is fascinated to see what all the fuss is about.
“I’m really excited to see and experience the Temple-Belton rivalry for the first time,” she said. “I’m excited to see the gym filled up. I think we’re ready because we had a nice week to prepare.”
Along with all the hoopla and enthusiasm for the much-anticipated matchup, both teams understand that with the start of district play, it’s time to win.
The Tem-Cats have endured an up-and-down first half of the season.
Temple opened the year with a five-game victory at defending Class 4A state champion Waco Midway but followed that with consecutive home losses to 4A Waller and 3A Liberty Hill. The tough stretch continued as Temple started 4-10 before winning 10 of its last 15 matches.
“Our main goal aside from the playoffs is to get better every day,” Hughlett said. “I think they’ve done that. Sometimes it’s slower than others, but we try to take something positive from every match. The kids are feeling more and more comfortable playing with each other on the court. The teamwork is always good. The basic skills sometimes get us in a pickle.”
Last year, the Tem-Cats featured a powerful lineup, with Trenette Smith and Jordan Pickett dominating at the net. With so many newcomers this year, Temple has had to rely more on a finesse style to beat its opponents.
The biggest adjustment is in the position change of the 6-foot Pickett, who along with her 293 kills (10.1 per match) has 293 assists as a setter. Patti Kabobel has complemented Pickett with 185 kills (6.4 per match), while setter Emily Vasek has 201 assists (6.9 per match) in the Tem-Cats’ 6-2 alignment.
Whereas Temple’s inexperienced lineup is progressing, Belton’s veteran-laden group is also starting to hit its stride.
The Tigers haven’t played since a blowout victory over Waco 10 days ago. Patton said her squad has used the extra practice time to break things down and work on a lot of repetitive, monotonous drills in the hope that it will be ready for a successful district run.
“I tried to take advantage of breaking things down for the last time,” Patton said. “Once we get going and are playing two matches a week, we won’t have as much time to work on those things.
“I’m excited to start district. I don’t really know what to expect, so I’m excited to get going.”
Sophomore Grace Weaver and senior Becca Owen average just more than seven kills per match each, and senior Myca San Miguel has tallied 377 assists.
The Lady Tigers beat Temple for the first time since 2004 last year and then completed a season sweep of the Tem-Cats. Both matches lasted five games and both were emotionally draining. Tonight’s first installment might come down to which team keeps its emotions in check better.
“It’s all about keeping our heads into the match and not worrying about what they do on their side,” Hughlett said. “It’s not about Belton. It’s about Temple. It’s what we do on our side and how we control our emotions and our passes."
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
