Every Texas high school volleyball team still in contention is a true success story in their own right.  But there may not be a more remarkable volleyball tale in all of Texas this year than the story of the 2007 Lindsay Lady Knights, a team that has climbed the ladder to become one of the top 16 Class A volleyball programs in the state in only their second year of varsity competition.

Volleyball programs, as a rule, build slowly.  New, urban schools can jump-start their programs by building around a club volleyball nucleus that is already playing the sport almost year round.  Lindsay didn't have that option and the Lady Knights went winless in 2006, the first year Lindsay fielded a varsity squad. 

But there are two very good reasons the Lady Knights are on their way to the Region II-1A Tournament in Weatherford with 24 wins under their belt in the school's second year of varsity volleyball competition.

First, Lindsay has the athletes.  Located on Hwy 82 just west of Gainesville in central Cooke County, the Lady Knights are the defending Class A state champs in basketball and track.  It just took a season to begin learning the nuances of volleyball. 

The second part of the winning equation happened in 2007 when volleyball coach Bridget Anderle took over the reins of the program.  Anderle had already put together solid teams at Aubrey and Callisburg. 

"I got a chance to come coach in my hometown, where all my kids go to school and took them up on it," Coach Anderle explains.

She turned out to be the final piece in a puzzle that has quickly taken shape.  The Lindsay girls finished district competition with an 8-1 mark and the lone blemish on the Lady Knight's record was in their district opener back on September 25 against Collinsville. 

"With this second-year program, these girls are still improving every time they step on the court," remarks Anderle. "They have totally turned things around. I am very proud of these girls."

Photos by Jay Anderle